"Strikeforce: Nashville" on CBS officially announced for April 17

**Harrie Nak** · 03-03-2010, 08:28

Strikeforce's second trip to network television is finally a done deal.

CBS on Tuesday officially announced its broadcast of "Strikeforce: Nashville," which takes place April 17 at Bridgestone Arena (formerly known as the Sommet Center) in Nashville, Tenn., airs live at 9 p.m. ET (tape delayed on the West Coast).

Strikeforce and CBS officials told MMAjunkie.com the broadcast will run approximately two hours with apparent room to run over the allotted time if needed.

The San Jose, Calif.-based promotion is aiming high for the event's main card with no less than three title fights scheduled for the televised portion of the evening.

In the main draw, middleweight champion Jake Shields (24-4-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) makes his second title defense when he meets top-tier import Dan Henderson (25-7 MMA, 0-0 SF).

After serving most of his career at welterweight, Shields bulked up to defeat Robbie Lawler this past June for the promotion's first-ever middleweight belt; he then successfully defended the belt against Jason "Mayhem" Miller on CBS' initial Strikeforce broadcast in November 2009. Henderson, a former UFC light heavyweight contender, has fought in the middleweight and light heavyweight classes. The former two-title PRIDE champion made a highly publicized split from the UFC this past December.

"It's been a long time trying to put this fight together, and I'm super excited to have a main event on CBS against such a great fighter," Shields said. "I've fought a lot of tough fighters, but he's probably the toughest fight of my life. I'm up for the challenge."

Light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) makes his first title defense when he takes on budding rival Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0 MMA, 1-0 SF).

Mousasi, a former DREAM middleweight champion, signed with Strikeforce this past July and immediately made good on his hype when he defeated Renato "Babalu" Sobral's in 60 seconds to take the promotion's 205-pound belt. Lawal, a former collegiate wrestling standout, earned his stripes in Japan's Sengoku event series before he migrated to Strikeforce this past October. Two months later, he knocked out UFC veteran Mike Whitehead in a litle more than three minutes at "Strikeforce: Evolution."

Additionally, the recently re-crowned lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez (17-2 MMA, 7-1 SF) faces DREAM lightweight title-holder Shinya Aoki (23-4 MMA, 0-0 SF) in a long rumored match-up.

Melendez, a longtime Strikeforce fighter, won the promotion's first-ever 155-pound title against UFC standout Clay Guida in June 2006. He went on to defend the title once before a hard-fought decision loss to Josh Thomson two years later at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson." This past April, he took the interim 155-pound belt with Thomson sidelined due to persistent injuries and unified the title eight months later in a pitch-perfect rematch with Thomson.

Aoki, long considered one of the world's best lightweights and MMA grapplers, will make his U.S. debut on the heels of a three-fight win streak. The Japanese star drew controversy in his most recent performance when he broke Sengoku lightweight champion Mizuto Hirota's arm and taunted him afterward at K-1 "Dynamite!! 2009" this past New Year's Eve.

The broadcast team for "Strikeforce: Nashville" includes veteran play-by-play commentator Gus Johnson, former UFC champion Frank Shamrock, and color analyst Mauro Renallo.

"When you have one event with three championship fights and this many top-ranked athletes, it's more than just a great card; it's a big night for MMA," Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Primetime, CBS Television stated. "Audiences are going to see a great range of mixed-martial-arts skills, styles and talent on one broadcast."

"We are excited about returning to CBS Primetime with a card featuring some of the top mixed-martial-arts fighters in the world, including three title fights and the Strikeforce debut of MMA legend Dan Henderson," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker added in a prepared statement. "CBS has shown a tremendous commitment to furthering the sport of MMA on network television, and we appreciate the home they have given Strikeforce to deliver world-class cards for MMA fans everywhere."

Tickets for "Strikeforce: Nashville," which start at just $30, go on sale on this Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m. CT local time (11 a.m. ET). A special pre-sale opportunity for "Strikeforce Insider" subscribers begins tomorrow, March 3, at 10 a.m. CT.

The fight card for "Strikeforce: Nashville" currently includes: