Strikeforce on Tuesday announced the backup fighters for its first women's tournament, as well as the official rules for that tournament, which will be held Aug. 13 as part of a Strikeforce Challengers show in Phoenix.
Colleen Schneider and Liz Carmouche will take part in what the promotion is terming a "reserve bout" as part of the 135-pound, four-woman event. The two will fight on the preliminary card. The main card will air live on Showtime.
If one of the four women in the tournament – Miesha Tate, Carina Damm, Hitomi Akano and Maiju Kujala – cannot advance due to injury, the Schneider-Carmouche winner will serve as a replacement.
Schneider (0-1), a Syracuse, N.Y., native, trains with Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. Carmouche (2-0), from Japan, is a San Diego resident who spent seven years in the Marine Corps.
After Strikeforce announced last week that Damm, who has not fought outside her native Brazil in more than two years, was having difficulty securing her visa, the promotion also announced Tuesday that the problem has been resolved and Damm will take part in the tournament as planned.
The tournament's winner will become the No. 2 contender for the women's welterweight belt held by Sarah Kaufman, who will next defend the title against top challenger Marloes Coenen. Kaufman last month defended the title with a power slam knockout of Roxanne Modafferi.
Strikeforce also announced the rules for the tournament, including: all fights will be three 3-minute rounds; fights ruled a draw will go to a fourth sudden victory round, which will be scored independently to determine a winner; a semifinal bout that ends due to an accidental foul will have a "survivor rule" in place – the fighter who can physically advance will move on.
Strikeforce will hold a random drawing on Aug. 12 as part of the official weigh-in event to determine the semifinal matchups. The winners of those two semifinals will meet in the co-main event to determine the No. 2 women's welterweight contender.
Strikeforce Challengers 10 features a main event catch-weight bout between Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor at 182 pounds. The main card will air live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET on Aug. 13 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix.
Colleen Schneider and Liz Carmouche will take part in what the promotion is terming a "reserve bout" as part of the 135-pound, four-woman event. The two will fight on the preliminary card. The main card will air live on Showtime.
If one of the four women in the tournament – Miesha Tate, Carina Damm, Hitomi Akano and Maiju Kujala – cannot advance due to injury, the Schneider-Carmouche winner will serve as a replacement.
Schneider (0-1), a Syracuse, N.Y., native, trains with Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. Carmouche (2-0), from Japan, is a San Diego resident who spent seven years in the Marine Corps.
After Strikeforce announced last week that Damm, who has not fought outside her native Brazil in more than two years, was having difficulty securing her visa, the promotion also announced Tuesday that the problem has been resolved and Damm will take part in the tournament as planned.
The tournament's winner will become the No. 2 contender for the women's welterweight belt held by Sarah Kaufman, who will next defend the title against top challenger Marloes Coenen. Kaufman last month defended the title with a power slam knockout of Roxanne Modafferi.
Strikeforce also announced the rules for the tournament, including: all fights will be three 3-minute rounds; fights ruled a draw will go to a fourth sudden victory round, which will be scored independently to determine a winner; a semifinal bout that ends due to an accidental foul will have a "survivor rule" in place – the fighter who can physically advance will move on.
Strikeforce will hold a random drawing on Aug. 12 as part of the official weigh-in event to determine the semifinal matchups. The winners of those two semifinals will meet in the co-main event to determine the No. 2 women's welterweight contender.
Strikeforce Challengers 10 features a main event catch-weight bout between Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor at 182 pounds. The main card will air live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET on Aug. 13 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix.