· Diaz vs. Hieron for Strikeforce WW Title

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 07/30 at 03:06 AM

Things are starting to look up, again, for Xtreme Couture mainstay, Jay Hieron (17-4). The closing of Affliction Entertainment left numorous fighters scrambling to find another venue to display their skills. Meanwhile, Strikeforce was looking for a replacement for the injured Joe Riggs, to take on Nick Diaz (20-7) for Strikeforce's first welterweight title. Now, instead of fighting on HDNet, on Affliction's undercard, Hieron will be fighting in a championship bout for Strikeforce's main event on Showtime.

Hieron will be going for his sixth consecutive win when he meets Diaz on August 15th at "Strikeforce: Carano vs Cyborg." His latest endeavor ended with a KO of Jason High (8-2) at the 1:04 mark of the first round, in what turned-out to be Affliction's final bout, at "Day of Reckoning" on January 24, 2009. Also, Strikeforce will be the fourth organization for Hieron, in four fights; the others being Affliction, Superfights MMA, and the International Fight League (IFL).

Coming off impressive wins over Frank Shamrock (23-10-2) and Scott Smith (16-6), Diaz will also be looking to extend his winning streak to six. This is the second title fight for Diaz. In 2007, at "EliteXC: Renegade," he was unable to aquire ElitXC's lightweight (160lbs) belt. He lost to KJ Noons (7-2), due to doctor stoppage from cuts.

Strikeforce's August 15th event, "Carano vs Cyborg," started out with four title fights in the main event. Injuries to WW Joe Riggs (30-10) and HW Alistair Overeem (29-11) left only two championship fights on the card; the women's 145lb championship between Gina Carano (7-0) and Cris "Cyborg" Santos (7-1), and the lightweight title fight, a rematch between title-holder Josh "The Punk" Thomson (16-2) and Gilbert Melendez (15-2). The addition of Renato "Babalu" Sobral (35-8) defending his light heavyweight belt against Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1), and now, Hieron signing-on to battle Nick Diaz for the vacant welterweight crown, brings the event back up to it's originally scheduled four title fights.