UFC 156's Alistair Overeem applies for license, needs to appear before NSAC

[Konan]

Strikeforce's next event will feature three title fights and the return of its heavyweight grand prix winner.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with company officials the bouts include lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez (21-2 MMA, 11-1 SF) vs. Pat Healy (28-16 MMA, 6-1 SF), middleweight champion Luke Rockhold (10-1 MMA, 9-0 SF) vs. Lorenz Larkin (13-0 MMA, 4-0 SF), and welterweight champion Nate Marquardt (32-10-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (13-3 MMA, 3-1 SF).

Additionally, Daniel Cormier (10-0 MMA, 7-0 SF) will fight fellow heavyweight Dion Staring (28-7 MMA, 0-0 SF) at the Jan. 12 event.

The event takes place at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, which also was scheduled to host a Nov. 3 event. However, the show was canceled following a series of injuries to some of the key fighters. It was Strikeforce's second straight cancellation.

However, officials promised a stacked card upon its return to Showtime and Showtime Extreme in January, and on paper, they've delivered with this latest offering.

Melendez in May beat rival Josh Thomson in a hard-fought split-decision for his seventh consecutive win and fourth straight title defense. He was booked for a September bout against Healy before suffering a training injury that knocked him off the card, then put the card down for the count altogether, the first of the two consecutive Strikeforce event cancellations. Healy earned his shot at the title thanks to five straight Strikeforce wins and eight victories in his past nine overall fights. In July he beat Mizuto Hirota.

MMAjunkie.com late Wednesday was first to report that Rockhold would defend his middleweight title against Larkin on the card. Rockhold and Larkin were scheduled to meet in the Nov. 3 event in Oklahoma City before a Rockhold wrist injury forced him out of the fight. Soon after, the card was scrapped altogether.

Rockhold twice has defended his title twice since winning it against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in September 2011. In January, he stopped Keith Jardine in the first round. And in July, in a long-awaited fight, he took a unanimous decision against Tim Kennedy. Larkin comes off a unanimous decision sweep of Robbie Lawler in July in his first fight after dropping from light heavyweight to 185 pounds.

Marquardt will defend his title for the first time after stopping Tyron Woodley with a fourth-round knockout in July. That was his return to the Zuffa banner after being cut by the UFC in June 2011 after failing to get medical clearance for his main event against Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4. The failed clearance stemmed from a spike in doctor-approved testosterone replacement therapy, he later revealed. He signed with BAMMA, but was released from his deal with the British promotion before ever fighting for it. Saffiedine in August took a unanimous decision against Roger Bowling in San Diego. After the fight, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he was unsure if Saffiedine would get the first shot at Marquardt, but now that will indeed be the case.

Cormier remains on the Oklahoma City card after being its original headliner for the canceled Nov. 3 show, but things certainly have changed. Cormier, who wrestled collegiately at nearby Oklahoma State, was set to fight former UFC champion Frank Mir in the main event. Now he has three title fights ahead of him at the event, at least according to traditional MMA main-card pecking order, and he's facing a journeyman making his Strikeforce debut – though that journeyman is the main training partner of Alistair Overeem.

Cormier is likely headed for the UFC following this fight, which will be the final heavyweight bout for Strikeforce after the promotion decided nearly a year ago to dissolve the division and focus on the other weight classes. Cormier dominated Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament earlier this year. Staring has won nine of his past 10 fights with seven by stoppage.