Four of MMA’s top women welterweights drew cards at Thursday’s Strikeforce Challengers 10 weigh-ins at Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz. to determine who would fight who in the first round of Strikeforce’s 135-pound women’s tournament.

Destiny is unveiled

Carina “Beauty but the Beast” Damm picked the Queen of Diamonds and Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano drew the Queen of hearts. Because diamonds and hearts are both red cards, Damm and Akano were matched up to fight one another.

Miesha “Takedown” Tate drew the Queen of Spades and Maiju Kujala picked the Queen of Clubs. Because spades and clubs are both black cards, Tate and Kujala were paired up to fight one another.

The weigh-ins

Fortunately, all fighters on Friday’s card made weight without incident. Main event participant Joe Riggs tipped the scales at 181.6 lbs., while his opponent Louis Taylor weighed in at 181.2 lbs. for their 182 lb. catch-weight bout.

Prepared to make his pro debut and follow in some enormous footsteps, Ryan Couture (“The Natural Lite”) weighed in at 155.6 lbs. and his opponent Lucas Stark weighed in at 153.2 lbs.

How to watch

Strikeforce Challengers 10 airs tonight (Friday, Aug. 13) live on Showtime starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. We here at ProMMAnow.com will be providing live results and play-by-play commentary of all the action. Join us tonight to discuss the fights during the broadcast!

Also, if you’re looking for our ProMMAnow.com Staff Picks for this event, we don’t generally do them for the smaller shows. However, Richard has shared his predictions on his article, Strikeforce Challengers 10 breakdown presented by BetUS.

Complete weigh-in results:

Main Card (Televised)

  • Joe Riggs – 181.6 pounds vs. Louis Taylor – 181.2 pounds
  • Ryan Couture – 155.6 pounds vs. Lucas Stark – 153.2 pounds
  • Miesha Tate – 134.2 pounds vs. Carina Damm – 134.8 pounds
  • Hitomi Akano – 135.0 pounds vs. Maiju Kujala – 134.4 pounds

Preliminary Card (Not Televised)

  • (Tournament reserve bout) Colleen Schnieder – 134.0 pounds vs. Liz Carmouche – 134.6 pounds
  • Christian Grosinsky – 185.5 pounds vs. John Wood – 185.8 pounds
  • Chris Gruetzemacher – 146.0 pounds vs. Ryan Diaz – 145.2 pounds
  • Jason Richey – 182.0 pounds vs. Edmund Xehili – 184.2 pounds
  • Joel Champion – 168.8 pounds vs. Sean Scott – 169.4 pounds
  • Alonzo Fears – 155.8 pounds vs. Rob Anderson – 154.4 pounds
  • Andres Acuna – 169.6 pounds vs. Edwin Louis – 168.0 pounds
  • Frankie Sainz – 153.4 pounds vs. Jace Crawford – 155.0 pounds

Notable quotes

Joe Riggs:

“I want to stay active and I want to string a couple of fights together. I’m only 27 years old and I don’t want to be doing this forever. I want to make another run and put it all together. Some guys hold onto that dream and tarnish what name they had and that’s not going to be me.

“I’ve lost every way you can lose and I’ve won every way I can win. What’s left to happen to me? Of course I want to win but regardless of the outcome I have my wife and kids who love me.

Louis Taylor:

“I’m looking to make Riggs’ hometown fans mourn. It’s going to be a night of bad luck for him. That’s all I’ve got to say.

“There ain’t nothing I can do that he hasn’t seen. I’m going to show him that inexperience is going to step up and win out this time. I’m definitely going to turn the fans’ heads and turn this night into a W.

“He’s got hundreds of hours of footage and I’ve got next to none. That’s probably to his advantage because he didn’t have to prepare for me. He doesn’t know what I’ve got.

Ryan Couture:

“My first weigh-in (as a pro) and I made weight so I have to be happy about that. That was the first order of business. Now I just have to get some food in me and be ready to go tomorrow.

“I’ll go into the cage between 165 and 170 (pounds). It might take me a little while to get to sleep. It always takes awhile to get my mind to shut off the night before a fight.”

Lucas Stark:

“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and a lot to prove. This is my first pro fight and it’s on Showtime so I have to leave it all out there.

“I don’t see him taking me to the ground; my wrestling is too good even if he does.”

“I want to play the spoiler. I don’t care what his last name is.”

Miesha Tate:

“I’m going to win this tournament because I have experience with tournaments and I had an excellent training camp. Plus, I want a shot at the title. I have a lot riding on this and this is my opportunity to shine. I believe that things happen for a reason and I’ve been put in this situation at this time in my life and I will succeed.

Carina Damm:

“I’ve won 10 fights in a row and I’m going for 12. I’m coming up in weight and will be faster than all the other girls.

“I think Akano has unbelievable grappling and just never gives up. And Maiju probably has the best standup. But I’m done talking about the other fighters. Just put me in the cage and we can talk after the fights.

“Cris Cyborg is a friend of mine and an inspiration. We’re both Brazilian and I know she will be rooting for me on Friday night.”

Photo Gallery [All photos by Esther Lin / Strikeforce]
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