STRIKEFORCE.COM TO STREAM GINA CARANO-CRIS CYBORG PRESS CONFERENCE

Source - Strikeforce:

LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TUESDAY

NEW YORK (July 13, 2009) –-The eagerly anticipated Gina Carano-Cris Cyborg press conference and fan meet and greet session will be streamed live in its entirety, exclusively on STRIKEFORCE’s official website, www.strikeforce.com, from New York City’s Madison Square Garden this Tuesday, July 14, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.

The wildly popular and undefeated Carano (7-0) and her No. 1 rival, Brazilian powerhouse Cyborg (7-1), will take center stage at the WaMu Theater at The World’s Most Famous Arena one month before they face off in what is the most anticipated fight in the history of women's mixed martial arts (MMA) and the first women’s fight to headline a major fight card also featuring men.

At stake in the Carano-Cyborg showdown at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Saturday, Aug. 15 will be the newly created STRIKEFORCE Women’s 145-Pound World Title.

The STRIKEFORCE: “Carano vs. Cyborg” mega-event will feature three additional world championship bouts.

Joe “Diesel” Riggs (30-10) and Nick Diaz (20-7) will revisit their bitter rivalry that began three years ago in the UFC when they face off in the first welterweight (170 pounds) STRIKEFORCE championship fight in history.

World Heavyweight Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (29-11) will put his coveted title on the line and, at the same time, attempt to avenge a previous defeat when he squares off with old nemesis and two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (11-4-1).

World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) will defend his STRIKEFORCE crown against Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (15-2), the man whom Thomson dethroned by way of unanimous decision at HP Pavilion on June 27, 2008.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: “Carano vs. Cyborg,” priced from $30, are available at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070), Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and at www.Strikeforce.com. HP Pavilion doors will open August 15 at 5 p.m. PT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 5:30 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME telecast of the Aug. 15 event will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast).

After co-promoting two events on SHOWTIME in 2007 and 2008, STRIKEFORCE in March ‘09 signed a multi-year agreement to stage MMA events on the premium cable television network.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Note from Ric: Yes, I've been ignoring the fuck out of UFC 100, pre-fight and post, but this event (especially Diaz-Riggs, but especially the main event) has me way more excited than anything on that show, so, if you have a problem with that, fuck off (as Euan Taylor would heartily say).