Looks like Paul Daley can scratch Evangelista Santos off his list of potential opponents.
That's because Strikeforce recently signed "Cyborg" to face current welterweight champion Nick Diaz at its upcoming Showtime event scheduled for Jan. 29 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
This of course, is the final nail in the coffin that bears the Diaz vs. "Mayhem" Miller match-up, despite a longstanding feud between the former UFC and Elite XC trash-talkers.
Diaz (23-7) remains undefeated inside the Strikeforce cage and hasn't lost since being busted open by KJ Noons way back in November 2007. The Cesar Gracie disciple recently avenged that loss in a rematch with "King Karl," taking a five round unanimous decision win from his nemesis on Oct. 9.
Can Santos (18-13) pull off the upset and join his wife Cristiane as a Strikeforce champion?
Sounds like a pretty tall order, but the Brazilian slugger has managed to string together consecutive technical knockout victories following a tough split decision loss to Joey Villasenor in June 2009.
After pounding out Daniel Zarate in front of his South American brethren, "Cyborg" returned to the states to demolish Mariusz Zaromskis at the Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" card earlier this year.
Santos certainly has his work cut out from him on Jan. 29 but does boast an impressive International resume against some of the sport's top names.
The upcoming Strikeforce event in San Jose is expected to feature a middleweight title fight pitting current champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza against the heavy hands of "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler.
Herschel Walker is also penciled in to return against Scott Carson.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card.
Get the latest gear
