SHERDOG.COM TO STREAM LIVE CORMIER-RILEY & GALVAO-PATINO STRIKEFORCE UNDERCARD FIGHTS THIS SATURDAY FROM HOUSTON

Posted on | August 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Bouts Will Begin at Approximately 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

SAN JOSE, CALIF. (Aug. 17, 2010) – Leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) website Sherdog (www.Sherdog.com) will stream two LIVE fights from the undercard of the world championship doubleheader at STRIKEFORCE: Houston this Saturday, Aug. 21, at Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. The live stream will begin at approximately 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Undefeated heavyweight and two-time United States Olympic Games wrestling team member Daniel Cormier (4-0) will attempt to make it five wins in a row when he faces hard-hitting Jason Riley (9-3) during the free undercard stream. Also streaming LIVE on Sherdog will be a welterweight bout between Brazilian Andre Galvao (4-1) and Houston’s Jorge Patino (20-12-1).

A former NCAA Division I national championship runner up at Oklahoma State University, Cormier has won three of his four fights via knockout. Cormier won his initial MMA and STRIKEFORCE start with a second-round TKO (punches) over Gary Frazier on Sept. 25 in Tulsa, Okla. He dominated John Devine in his second fight with a first-round knockout at a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers event on March 26 in Fresno, Calif., and followed that up with a first-round TKO of Lucas Browne on July 31. He is fresh off a 2:27, first-round submission (rear-naked choke) over Tony Johnson, Jr., on Aug. 13.

A heavyweight prospect who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose., Cormier placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics in freestyle wrestling. He was named captain of the U.S. squad for the 2008 Olympics, but was unable to compete due to injury.

Riley, of Columbus, Ohio, has won seven of his fights via knockout and is coming off two knockout victories in the last two months. Far more experienced professionally than Cormier, Devine has been in the cage with MMA veteran Tim Silvia, who fought MMA legends Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture and Andrei Arlovski.

Galvao, of Brasilia, Brazil, is coming off a split-decision victory over Luke Stewart at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers fight on March 26 in Fresno, Calif. Galvao, a submission specialist, will be tested by the experienced Patino, who has triumphed seven times by submission, more than Galvao’s fours wins and one loss combined. The Brazilian-born Patino has fought professionally since 1995 but will be in the cage for the first time in almost a year. Patino, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist who has been in a handful of epic battles, holds a notable 2003 win over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who will fight for the vacant STRIKEFORCE Middleweight title in Houston.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: Houston are on sale at www.ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at select Houston area Randalls locations, and at www.strikeforce.com and at the Toyota Center box office.

STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion “King” Mo Lawal will make the first defense of his belt against devastating striker Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante in the main event on the live telecast on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). The co-main event will pit Souza against American military hero Tim Kennedy in a battle for the vacant STRIKEFORCE Middleweight (185 pounds) title.

In a featured, televised bout, undefeated heavyweight rising star and former WWE personality Bobby Lashley will return to the cage against Chad Griggs. Also on the televised portion of the card, former world champ KJ Noons will face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Jorge Gurgel in a lightweight (155 pounds) match.

Doors at Toyota Center will open at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30 p.m.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) 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, sanctioned by ISKA, 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 (MMA) 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. In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network. The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

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