Tickets for the first stage of Strikeforce’s upcoming heavyweight tournament, featuring Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and longtime UFC competitor Andrei Arlovski vs. K-1 and PRIDE veteran Sergei Kharitonov on Feb. 12 in East Rutherford, N.J., will go on sale next week, the promotion announced on Jan. 7.
“A special ticket pre-sale for ‘STRIKEFORCE Insiders,’ begins Wednesday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. ET and ends Thursday at 10 p.m.,” the Strikeforce press release says. “Fans can sign up to become an ‘Insider’ at STRIKEFORCE.com. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. ET at the IZOD Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.”
Fedor is coming off of his first and only other loss since a controversial cut stoppage in 2002. Emelianenko ruled the PRIDE heavyweight division for years and has recent wins over two former UFC champions — Arlovski and Tim Sylvia — as well as fellow tournament competitor Brett Rogers.
For Silva, he’s shown the size and talent to compete with top-tier fighters, but a win over Emelianenko would solidify his spot as a heavyweight contender. He recently defeated Mike Kyle in an action-packed battle on Dec. 4 that saw both men eat some serious leather and drop to the canvas. Silva also went the distance with Fedor-conqueror and UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum but lost a decision.
The other first round match-ups are Strikeforce, K-1, and Dream champion Alistair Overeem against Werdum, and Josh Barnett vs. Rogers.