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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Strikeforce jumped the gun a bit in announcing a bout between Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold for their Columbus event on March 5, as MMAJunkie.com reports that Kennedy is now expected to face Melvin Manhoef on the card.
No reason was given for the change, but it marks the third different opponent for Kennedy on this event. Initially, Kennedy was expected to meet Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the third time, then that bout fell through and Strikeforce announced the Rockhold fight.
Now, Kennedy meets Manhoef, who fights for the second time in the organization. Manhoef Tweeted that he would be taking part in the card, though no opponent had been revealed, and now it appears this will be the fight that will take place.
Both will be looking to bounce back from losses. Kennedy dropped a decision to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza last August, while Manhoef has dropped consecutive fights to Robbie Lawler and Tatsuya Mizuno.
The March 5 event, taking place from the Nationwide Arena in Strikeforce's Ohio debut, is headlined by the Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Dan Henderson and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
Penick's Analysis: Well, this certainly isn't a more relevant fight in the middleweight division than Kennedy vs. Rockhold, but it should be equally as exciting. Manhoef struggles with being taken down and out-grappled, so unless he lands a knockout punch early Kennedy is the exact type of opponent he's had problems with in the past. If Kennedy gets the fight to the ground, he is more than capable of submitting him. Regardless of the method of victory for either fighter, this one shouldn't last long.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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