Strikeforce officially announced on March 2 that the two remaining heavyweight grand prix first round match-ups will take place on June 18 in Dallas, Texas.

Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will face Fedor Emelianenko conqueror and UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum, while Josh Barnett will take on Brett Rogers. The Overeem vs. Werdum winner will face Antonio Silva, who defeated Fedor on Feb. 12, in the second round. The Barnett vs. Rogers winner will take on Sergei Kharitonov, who knocked out former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski.

The heavyweight fights had been planned for April 9, but the promotion never found a location to hold the event. Although Strikeforce officials never commented on the reasons for the delay, Barnett’s difficulty getting his license renewed in California due to a positive drug test a couple of years ago are believed to be the reason, with most states abiding by the suspensions and licensing decisions handed down by other athletic commissions.

As rumored, the April 9 date originally set to host the two bouts will instead feature a welterweight title bout, with Nick Diaz defending his title against Paul Daley. Also, lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will go up against PRIDE veteran and Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri.

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