"King Karl" is back.
Former professional boxer and EliteXC champion K.J. Noons will return to face Billy Evangelista at the upcoming Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" event scheduled for the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., on Sat., Dec. 17, 2011.
The promotion recently confirmed the long-rumored bout via its official website.
Noons (10-4) has some work to do if he expects to be picked up by ZUFFA in the near future. Despite winning his first two fights as a Strikeforce employee, he's now dropped to 2-2 for the former San Jose-based organization, falling to Nick Diaz and Jorge Masvidal in back-to-back unanimous decision losses.
A third straight could spell doom for the San Diego striker.
Evangelista (11-1) is also coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jorge Masvidal, going down on points at the "Feijao vs. Henderson" event back in March.
It was the first loss of the Fresno native's career but that could quickly be erased with a convincing win over a name like Noons.
"Melendez vs. Masvidal" will feature lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez putting his 155-pound belt on the line against a very dangerous, and hungry, Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the evening.
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight and 2008 DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion, Gegard Mousasi, will look to get back in the promotion's win column in more than one year when he takes on former University of Tennessee defensive standout Ovince St. Preux.
For more on the Dec. 17 Showtime event check out our Strikeforce archive by clicking here.
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