WITH CHAMP MELENDEZ OUT, HEALY VS. MASVIDAL EXPECTED FOR 'STRIKEFORCE: CHAMPIONS...

Pat Healy (28-16 MMA, 6-1 SF) once again has an opponent for Strikeforce's final show.

Sources close to the event on Monday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Jorge Masvidal (23-7 MMA, 5-1 SF) has filled a slot left vacant by the injury withdrawal of lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez.

"Strikeforce: Champions" takes place Jan. 12 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

The event's main-card airs live on Showtime following prelims on Showtime Extreme. The placement of Healy vs. Masvidal on the fight card isn't yet known.

Team Quest's Healy had earned a title shot with a unanimous-decision win over Mizuto Hirota at July's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy" event, which marked his fifth straight win under the promotion's banner. Submission wins over highly touted prospects Maximo Blanco and Caros Fodor preceded his advance.

Fighting on the same July preliminary card as Healy, Masvidal returned to the win column with a decision victory over Justin Wilcox. The American Top Team product fell short in his previous bout, a December 2011 bid for Melendez's lightweight title that ended in a unanimous-decision win for the champ.

Masvidal was set to fight Bobby Green at a Strikeforce event planned for Nov. 3, but the show was canceled due to injury withdrawals. He subsequently told MMAjunkie.com Radio that he'd take a bout in Japan on New Year's Eve if unable to secure a stateside fight.

"I hear January is the last show, and then January isn't the last show," he said. "I don't know. I just hope that if it's completely and utterly dead, I want to go to Strikeforce's funeral because what's going on is not cool.

"I know a lot of fighters want to be on that January show, so if I get on it, I'll be very thankful."

Following the injury withdrawals of lightweight champ Melendez and Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, a welterweight title bout between champ Nate Marquardt and challenger Tarec Saffiedine now is expected to headline "Strikeforce: Champions."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/2012/11/with-champ-melendez-out-healy-vs-masvidal-expected-for-strikeforce-champions

Going with Masvidal in this one. I was hoping to see him on NYE instead but this is a good fight for him against the SF number 1 contender.