Beginning Feb. 12 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., Fedor Emelianenko fights Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski is matched against Sergei Kharitonov. Current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will meet Fabricio Werdum, and Brett Rogers tangles with Josh Barnetts will likely take place in April.
Several sources close to the talks told ESPN.com that Showtime took the lead in negotiations
Emelianenko’s signing, which was delayed at the end because he’s training in a remote mountain location in his homeland without access to computers or fax machines, allowed the brackets to take shape and the tournament to move forward.
Neither the semifinal nor final rounds have firm dates or locations. “If there’s not any injuries, we think we could wrap it up by the end of September,” Coker said.
Beginning with Overeem’s quarterfinal bout against Werdum, each Strikeforce title fight throughout the tournament will be a five-round contest.
