Strikeforce announces date for heavyweight grand prix final

Strikeforce announced at tonight’s “Tate vs. Rousey” event, that the finals to their heavyweight grand prix tournament will take place on May 19th. Josh Barnett will take on Daniel Cormier at the event, which has yet to announce a venue.

The tournament started over a year ago and was built mainly around Russian superstar Fedor Emelianenko. Emelianenko was upset in the first round by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, leaving the tournament with no clear favourite. The odds appeared to favour then-Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who pulled out of his semi-final fight with rib and toe injuries.

Overeem’s vacant spot was taken by tournament alternate Cormier, who scored an upset first-round TKO victory over Silva. Barnett advanced to the finals with submission victories over Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov