The Strikeforce injury bug continues to wreak havoc.Almost a month before the organization's next Challengers event, Evangelista Santos (11-6-1) has been forced to pull out of his main event bout against Tim Kennedy (9-1) due to a knee injury sustained during training, according to The Fight Network, who cited a source close to Showtime.
Strikeforce Challengers airs Friday, September 25 on Showtime from the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla.
The organization's last event, headlined by Gina Carano vs. Santos' wife, Cris Cyborg, changed several times due to numerous injuries sustained by some of the top stars on the card.
No replacement has been announced.
Joey Villasenor would appear to be the perfect candidate to replace Santos. In fact, I thought Villasenor should have been the one main eventing this show against Kennedy in the first place. Of course, Villasenor defeated Santos via split decision in June. Kennedy defeated Nick Thompson on the same card via second-round submission.
The Strikeforce middleweight division is arguably the organization's deepest, and the winner of a potential Kennedy vs. Villasenor bout would immediately be considered a contender at 185 pounds. Kennedy has won 10 of his last 11 bouts, while Villasenor has won his last four fights in a row.
Paul Bradley vs. Zak Cummings is also scheduled for the show. Roger Gracie's manager, Shu Hirata, recently informed FanHouse that the 27-year-old is scheduled to make his Strikeforce debut on the card, as well.
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