While the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament is now official, there are plenty of details still emerging regarding the particulars of the way the Grand Prix will play out.
One of the questions surrounding the tournament is what will happen in the event that one of the competitors in the eight-man field cannot compete, whether that be due to an unforeseen injury or failure to obtain a license to fight.
Don't worry, though, Strikeforce has you covered.
The San Jose based promotion will have alternate bouts that will determine fighters who will step up in the event they are needed to fill in. The first of those will be the previously announced Lavar Johnson vs Shane Del Rosario fight.
The winner of that contest will be first in line to step in as an alternate if called upon.
The second alternate fight will see K-1 veteran Ray Sefo take on Valentijn Overeem, brother of Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and tournament participant Alistair Overeem.
MMAWeekly.com brought word of the match-up and a few other details about the highly anticipated Grand Prix.
Both the Johnson vs Del Rosario and Sefo vs (the other) Overeem fights will take place on the Feb. 12 Strikeforce card set for East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The main card of that event will feature all heavyweights as two quarterfinal bouts will round out the show. Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Silva will headline with Andrei Arlovski vs Sergei Kharitonov serving as the co-main event of the evening.
The other quarterfinal fights, Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers, are being targeted for an April event, as opposed to the initially rumored March 5 event Strikeforce is holding in Ohio.
Company CEO Scott Coker also made note that heavyweight prospect Daniel Cormier, who fights Devin Cole at Strikeforce Challengers 13 on Jan. 7, may also be tapped as an alternate for the tournament.
Whew.
While it is a challenging undertaking, if it goes smoothly, it could be one of the most successful in the history of the organization.
Stick to MMAMania.com for any updates on this historic event.
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