Strikeforce Announces Womens Welterweight Tournament

On the night of August 13, Strikeforce will be putting on another “Challengers” card, but this one will have a special twist. The evening’s event will feature a single-elimination tournament between four of the sports’ top welterweight female fighters to determine the  number two contender in the Strikeforce women’s welterweight division.

The promotion made the announcement earlier today that the four women participating in the one-night tournament include fan-favorite Miesha Tate, Carina Damm, Hitomi Akano, and Maiju Kujala at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.

The match ups, though yet to be decided upon, will be determined by a random draw on the evening of the weigh-ins, one day prior to the event.

The tournament, which will consist of two semi-final and one final fight, will be made up of three rounds each lasting three minutes. All three fights will be conducted in the same evening prior to the main event, which features a men’s welterweight contest between UFC veteran Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor.

The winner of the tournament will be next in line for a shot at  the welterweight title behind Marloes Coenen, which is currently held by Sarah Kaufmann, who faces off against Roxanne Modafferi this Friday. Tickets for the August event are on sale now at the Dodge Theatre box office and through Ticketmaster, among other outlets.