Strikeforce is moving forward with a four woman, single elimination tournament on Aug. 13 at the upcoming "Challengers X" Showtime event from the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.
The winner of that tournament becomes the number two contender to the Strikeforce Woman's Welterweight Championship, which will be decided when current division queenpin Sarah Kaufman defends her strap against the crafty Roxanne Modafferi.
So why number two?
Well, dazzling Dutch damsel Marloes Coenen dibbed the number one contender spot after she slimmed down from 145-pounds following her gruesome sepulture at the hands of "Cyborg" Santos earlier this year.
Coenen will fight the winner of Kaufman vs. Modafferi, setting up a third title bout for 2011 that will include one of those three ladies versus one of these four:
Miesha "Takedown" Tate (9-2)
Carina "Beauty But The Beast" Damm (15-3)
Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano (15-7)
Maiju Kujala (4-1)
Tournament rules and the draw to determine the semifinal match-ups won't be revealed until the official "Challengers X" weigh-ins on Thursday, Aug. 12. So not only does the winner have to compete twice in one night, they have to go in blind until a day before the contest.
Each of the three tournament bouts are scheduled for three, three-minute rounds.
The Aug. 13 telecast will air live at 11 p.m. ET beginning with the two semi-final bouts. The winners of each bout will compete in the tournament final later that night prior to the main event match-up of Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor.
From Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker:
"We are going to fast-track these four talented prospects in a quest to determine the best in this deep women's division. Having all four women square off on one night with the chance to separate themselves from the pack is what Strikeforce Challengers is all about."
Should be interesting.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on Strikeforce Challengers X as it becomes available.
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