If Strikeforce's welterweight division is ready for a top contender, Tarec Saffiedine has officially put up his hand to volunteer.
At Saturday night's Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, Saffiedine earned his third straight win with a unanimous decision over Roger Bowling, and then he said he was prepared to challenge new champion Nate Marquardt.
"Yes, sir," he said when asked if he was ready. "Who is with me for the title?"
Saffiedine won the fight by scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, though the fight was closer than that.
Bowling initiated the early action, hunting early body shots as Saffiedine took a more stationary position. As the first round went on, Saffiedine looked to gain a comfort level from there while Bowling began looking for the takedown. Despite numerous attempts, Bowling couldn't get it to the mat.
As the second round began, Saffiedine's technical striking seemed to land the crisper shots, but Bowling stayed aggressive with his volume and power, making it a difficult one to judge. Bowling's wrestling though, was completely negated, as Saffiedine stopped him at every turn.
Bowling seemed to tire in the third, and Saffadiene's punches landed in the early going. Bowling tried his last takedown of the fight with about 1:20 left, and the decision proved costly. Saffiedine sprawled and ended up taking Bowling's back, and ended the fight with a rear naked choke applied, putting an exclamation point on the victory.
With the win, Saffiedine improved his record to 13-3.
Bowling saw a personal two-fight win streak snapped, and he's now 11-3.