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The next installment of Strikeforce's prospects-driven "Challengers" series is slated for July 23, and a title fight could be part of the night's Showtime broadcast.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Strikeforce Challengers 9 could feature recently crowned Strikeforce women's welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman (11-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) against fellow 135-pounder Roxanne Modafferi (15-5 MMA, 0-1 SF).
The event takes place at Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash.
Coker said the fight is not official but that executives are working to secure it for the upcoming show.
Strikeforce has hosted two previous shows in Washington (one in Tacoma and one in Kent) but has never ventured to Everett, a northwest-Washington city that boasts a population of approximately 104,000. The 9,000-seat Comcast Arena (formally known as "Comcast Arena at Everett") is and has been home to multiple minor-league sports franchises, including the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips.
Kaufman, who would make her fourth straight Challengers appearance, has not fought since her unanimous-decision win over Takayo Hashi in February. The victory earned the Canadian fighter the first-ever Strikeforce women's welterweight belt and extended her undefeated streak to 11 fights.
Although Kaufman opened her career with eight consecutive knockout wins, all of her Strikeforce victories went to decision.
Modafferi, meanwhile, would fight for Strikeforce for the second time. Serving as a late replacement for Erin Toughill, the Japanese-based American moved up a weight class and ultimately suffered a first-round submission loss to notable Marloes Coenen.
Since that loss, Modafferi scored a submission win over Molly Helsel at a King of the Cage event, and on May 21, she edged female standout Tara LaRosa (18-1 at the time) via split decision in a heavily praised "Moosin: God of Martial Arts" pay-per-view bout. Modafferi has now won eight of her past nine fights.Source: www.mmajunkie.com
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