Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman Set for August in San Diego
The Ronda Rousey Express will hit Southern California later this summer.
Rousey will defend her Strikeforce bantamweight title for the first time against Sarah Kaufman on Aug. 18 in San Diego, Calif.,
MMAFighting.com has confirmed with sources close to the fight. The promotion is expected to officially announce the date in the coming weeks.
Rousey (5-0) defeated Miesha Tate in March to capture the women's 135-pound belt. The win capped off an impressive year which saw her win her first five fights in a combined time of 7:15.
Kaufman (15-1) secured her spot as the No. 1 contender when she defeated Alexis Davis on the same card in March. The Canadian has won three in a row since losing the 135-pound belt to Marloes Coenen in Oct. 2010.
The card, which will mark the third in San Diego since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, will air on Showtime.
Strikeforce 18 augustus: Germaine de Randamie VS Hiroko Yamanaka
Bron: MMAjunkie
Next month's "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kuafman" event has two new prliminary-card additions.
In the card's third female fight, bantamweight Germaine de Randamie (2-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) takes on Japanese veteran and former title challenger Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1 MMA, 0-1 SF).
Additionally, Adlan Amagov (9-2-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) takes on fellow middleweight Keith Berry (11-9 MMA, 0-2 SF).
"Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman" takes place Aug. 18 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego and features a women's bantamweight title fight between champion Ronda Rousey and former titleholder Sarah Kaufman. The main airs on Showtime, and Showtime Extreme carries the prelims.
In her first fight in 14 months, de Randamie looks to rebound from a decision loss to Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 16. In her prior fight, the muay Thai specialist scored a first-round knockout (via knee) of Stephanie Webber.
Her opponent, Yamanaka, will return from a nine-month layoff. Most recently, she headed to the featherweight division, and while undersized, suffered a 16-second TKO loss to then-champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. Santos, though, failed a post-fight drug test, and the bout was overturned to a no-contest. By default, Yamanaka is still riding an eight-fight win streak.
Amagov, a Russian fighter, recently saw his 10-fight unbeaten streak (9-0-1) snapped with a vicious flying-knee-TKO loss to Robbie Lawler in January. Prior to the setback, he picked up a pair of Strikeforce victories over Ronald Stallings (split decision) and Anthony Smith (knockout).
The heavy-handed Berry, meanwhile, gets a third shot at a first Strikeforce win. The WEC and EliteXC vet suffered losses to Trevor Smith and Gian Villante in 2011 Strikeforce fights. He's since posted a 1-1 record on the regional circuit in California.
The latest "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman" card now includes:
Champ Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman (for women's bantamweight title)
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Derek Brunson
Miesha Tate vs. Julie Kedzie
Roger Bowling vs. Tarec Saffiedine
T.J. Cook vs. Ovince St. Preux
Germaine de Randamie vs. Hiroko Yamanaka
Adlan Amagov vs. Keith Berry
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