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NEW YORK (April 27, 2009)–Fresh off their
respective thrilling wins, the versatile Nick Diaz (19-7) and
knockout artist Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (17-5) are eager to get
back in the cage. The pair will square off on Saturday, June 6, in
a special 180-pound showdown during the live SHOWTIME® telecast of
Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields” from the Scottrade Center in St.
Louis, Mo.
“I think this is a great fight for me, but I really hate that
(Smith) brings his kids to every one of his fights because now I’m
going to be made out to be the bad guy or some sort of villain after
I beat him up,” said the 25-year-old Diaz, who shocked the MMA world
with his complete dominance of four-time world champion Frank
Shamrock in the Strikeforce main event on SHOWTIME from HP Pavilion
in San Jose on Saturday, April 11. “At the end of the day, I’m
going to do what I have to do though and take him out.”
Against Shamrock, Diaz demonstrated his versatility. The Gracie
Jiu Jitsu black belt spent the majority of the match trading
strikes—and getting the better of the exchanges. Known for his
prowess on the mat, Diaz is also a professional boxer.
Known for his outstanding endurance, Diaz just completed a 5K race
and will compete in an upcoming triathlon near his hometown in
Stockton , Calif. , in order to prepare for what could be a marathon
slugfest in the cage with Smith.
Earlier on the “Shamrock vs. Diaz” fight card, the 29-year-old Smith
prevailed in a brutal and action-packed fight that surely will be
candidate for 2009 Fight of the Year . The thrilling, seesaw
battle with middleweight Benji “The Razor” Radach ended when Smith
landed one monstrous punch in the middle of the third round.
“I’m pretty much 100 percent right now, other than some stitches I
have that are tender,” said Smith, who returned to training on
Monday, April 13, two days after his victory.
“I usually take a few weeks off, get out of shape and go up to about
210 pounds and wind up spending a few weeks just getting back in
shape,” he said, “but I decided I wasn’t going to do that this time.
I’m 195 pounds right now and I feel great.”
With 15 of his 17 wins having come by way of knockout, Smith, a Muay
Thai specialist, has lived up to his nickname. To prepare
adequately for Diaz’s grappling capabilities, Smith will work with
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Barros .
“Diaz is a great fighter,” acknowledged Smith. “He’s going to come
in there and out grapple me and out strike me so what I have to do
is go in there and beat him up. I actually think this is more of a
dangerous fight for him than it is for me.”
Tickets for Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields” are on sale at the
Scottrade Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations
(800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (
www.ticketmaster.com ) , and Strikeforce’s official website (
www.strikeforce.com ).
The live SHOWTIME telecast of the event begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT
(delayed on the West Coast). In the highly anticipated main event,
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) will face off with fellow top-ranked
superstar Jake Shields (22-4-1) in a 182-pound catch weight fight.
Additionally, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni (13-10) will collide
with Joe “Diesel” Riggs (29-10) in a 170-pound contest.
Doors at the Scottrade Center will open for Strikeforce: “Lawler vs.
Shields” at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 6. The first
non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.
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