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STRIKEFORCE: Challengers ON SHOWTIME®
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010; Telecast Begins at 11 p.m. ET/PT

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The 24 mixed martial arts fighters all made weight for the historic STRIKEFORCE: Challengers fight card tomorrow/Friday, Feb. 26 on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.

In the main event, unbeaten Sarah Kaufman (10-0) of Victoria, British Columbia and Takayo Hashi (12-1) of Tokyo, Japan, will collide in the first-ever STRIKEFORCE women’s world 135-pound (welterweight) championship. The eagerly awaited matchup is scheduled for five, 5-minute rounds.

Other fights on SHOWTIME (all slated for three, 5-minute rounds):

Trevor Prangley (22-5) vs. Karl Amoussou (11-2-1) at 185 pounds;

Luke Rockhold (6-1) vs. Paul Bradley (12-1) at 185 pounds;

James Terry (7-1) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (7-2) at 170lbs

Raul Castillo (6-0) vs. Yancy Medeiros (4-0) at 185 lbs

The first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

What the fighters said at Thursday's weigh-in:

SARAH KAUFMAN
“I’m excited and honored to fight for STRIKEFORCE’s inaugural 135-pound women’s title. I just want to go out there, have fun, and make it the fight of the night. Don’t miss this fight. It could be over at any moment.’’

TAKAYO HASHI
“I am very honored to fight for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME for the first 135-pound title for STRIKEFORCE. I feel I am representing Japan. I want to win the title for my career path, but I really want to bring this title back to motivate the female fighters of Japan.’’

TREVOR PRANGLEY
“I feel it’s a privilege to be able to do what I do. I thank God every
day for blessing me this much.’’

LUKE ROCKHOLD
“I’m happy to be healthy. It was a hard camp and I’m injury prone but my health is great and I’m ready to get out there and show it. I’ve been working on my standup and takedown defense. My kickboxing has gotten really strong. I can’t wait to show it to the world.’’

PAUL BRADLEY
“Fatigue makes cowards out of us all. You won’t see any fatigue out of this guy. I’m ready.’’

TAREC SAFFIEDINE
“I trained hard for this fight. I made a lot of sacrifices for this
fight and am excited to showcase my skills and do what I’ve trained so hard for.’’

YANCY MEDEIROS
”I’m proud to be a part of STRIKEFORCE and I’m here to represent Hawaii. I’m dedicating this to my Uncle Martin and Auntie Sheila Buell. A win for them and my family means everything.’’

Sarah Kaufman (left) and Takayo  Hashi fight for the first-ever
women's STRIKEFORCE 135-pound world  championship in the main event
tomorrow/Friday, Feb. 26, on  STRIKEFORCE: Challengers on  SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on  the West Coast). Kaufman weighed 134 pounds; Hashi 132 Thursday.

Karl Amoussou (left) weighed 184 1/2  pounds for his match with Trevor
Prangley (185 pounds) at the  San Jose Civic Auditorium.

Paul Bradley (left) and Luke  Rockhold will collide in one of the
featured bouts on SHOWTIME. Bradley  weighed 186; Rockhold 185.

Tarec Saffiedine (left) and  James Terry face off at Thursday's
weigh-in at Hilton San Jose.  Saffiedine tipped scale at 170; Terry 169.

Yancy Medeiros (left) and Raul  Castillo will meet in the opening
fight on the telecast. Medeiros  weighed 185 1/2 pounds; Castillo 183.

The Rockstar Girls ...

PHOTOS BY ESTHER LIN/STRIKEFORCE