http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/1...no-heavyweight-tournament-fights-on-april-9th I think most MMA fans were skeptical of Strikeforce's ability to put on a proper heavyweight grand prix considering the characters involved. So far things have gone off without too many technical issues but today things took a turn for the worse. The second half of the first round of the tournament was scheduled to take place on April 9th, probably in Japan (to circumvent Josh Barnett's stateside suspension and licensing issue). Strikeforce has "run out of time" to put the event together, according to Scott Coker. Um, what? Yeah, Strikeforce didn't have a venue in place for the event. In Japan, stadiums need to be booked well in advance (reportedly over six months). Apparently Strikeforce didn't have their ducks in line and are now in a position where postponing the event until June seems to be their remaining option. This forces the semi-finals back several months to early autumn and the finals to around New Year's. Coker "would like to conclude [the tournament] by the end of the year" but clearly isn't bursting with confidence on the issue. The remaining first round fights (Werdum/Overeem, Barnett/Rogers) will instead take place in Dallas this June. You can imagine how frustrating it must be for the fighters involved, several of whom I'm sure were already weeks into training camp, for them to have to stop camp and go back into waiting (aka. no money) mode for two months. Strikeforce will still put on a show April 9th. Nick Diaz will defend his welterweight title against Paul Daley (should he make weight), and Gilbert Melendez will defend his lightweight title against Tatsuya Kawajiri. The card will also feature Gegard Mousasi, Mike Kyle, KJ Noons, Shinya Aoki, and Hiroyuki Takaya.
