Mixed martial arts fans who were disappointed that Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou weren't meeting in DREAM's "Super Hulk Tournament," fear not. "The Dreamcatcher" and "The African Assassin" will instead throw hands at the Nov. 7 "Fedor vs. Rogers" Strikeforce event on CBS.
Unfortunately for the Cameroonian, it won't be for the Armenian's light heavyweight title.
MMAmania.com has been able to confirm a Sherdog.com report that upon approval by the Illinois State Athletic Commission, Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou will complete the televised portion of the Strikeforce/CBS event, set to air on network television from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The two were paired up for a showdown at DREAM 11 as part of the "Super Hulk" semifinals on Oct. 6, until a shoulder injury prevented Mousasi from competing.
He was quickly replaced by the brittle but reliable Bob "The Beast" Sapp, who was unceremoniously destroyed by Sokoudjou in the first round of their contest.
Sokoudjou can use that momentum to try and erase the memories of his recent stateside endeavors. After getting bounced from the UFC after losses to Lyoto Machida and Luis Arthur Cane, the former PRIDE slugger was choked out by Renato "Babalu" Sobral at the January 24 Affliction event.
He rebounded with two wins under the DREAM promotion, first over Jan Norte at DREAM 9 back in May and then the aforementioned TKO over Sapp.
But his return to the states will not be an easy one.
After capturing the DREAM middleweight belt last year, Mousasi embarked on an ambitious 2009 campaign with a move to light heavyweight. In the preliminary round of the "Super Hulk Tournament" at DREAM 9, the 24 year-old Armenian/Dutch fighter easily dispatched of Mark Hunt with a first round submission.
In what was considered perhaps his biggest challenge to date, he scored an emphatic victory over Renato Sobral in his American debut, demolishing the veteran grappler in 60 seconds to capture the Strikeforce 205-pound title at the August 15 "Carano vs. Cyborg" event.
And as it stands, that title will remain around his waist, win or lose.
Headlining the Nov. 7 Strikeforce/CBS event will be a heavyweight clash between former PRIDE champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and undefeated knockout artist Brett "The Grim" Rogers.
Several of the promotion’s other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including a Strikeforce middleweight title bout pitting Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the 185-pound belt recently vacated by budding film star Cung Le.
For more on Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Rogers" click here.
Get the latest gear
