...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Strikeforce's next "Challengers" series event will come to Showtime on February 18 from the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas, and will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm and Pat Healy, according to multiple published reports. In addition, Ryan Couture is being targeted for a bout on the event as well.
Beerbohm is a perfect 16-0 in his MMA career, including three wins under the Strikeforce banner. Appearing for the organization once in each of the last three years, Beerbohm has picked up wins over Ray Perales, Duane "Bang" Ludwig, and Vitor Ribeiro. However, this will mark his first televised appearance on Showtime for Strikeforce.
Healy has been an active MMA fighter for nearly a decade, amassing a 23-16 record with a number of big name opponents on that list. He's picked up wins over the likes of Dan Hardy, Paul Daley, and Carlos Condit during his career, but has suffered numerous losses in conjunction with those victories. He's fought twice for Strikeforce, earning a decision win over Bryan Travers before getting submitted by former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson last June.
In addition to that fight, the 28-year-old Couture is expected to fight in only his second professional contest. Couture made his pro debut at a Challengers event last August, winning by submission in just over a minute. His scheduled follow-up bout in November was scrapped, however, when he was forced out with a staph infection.
Penick's Analysis: Healy vs. Beerbohm should be a very entertaining fight for a "Challengers" series card. Healy has faced some very big names throughout his career and is no stranger to a big fight. Beerbohm continues to pick up wins, and he continues to do so in convincing fashion, as he's only ever reached the judges' scorecards twice. And Couture has a bright future, so having his second pro bout on this card will be a good addition as well.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
