Strikeforce's Scott Coker Sets Future Title Matchups

This story originally appeared on the MMA website, 5thRound.com

On the heels of Saturday’s star-studded “Strikeforce: Miami” event in the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, CEO Scott Coker is already in the lab working on title fights that he believes will top last night’s spectacular show.

An exhausted Coker sat down with MMAFighting.com and told the website he already has opponents lined-up for Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, as well as newly crowned welterweight champion Nick Diaz and 145-pound queen Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

Melendez put on the best performance of his pro career at “Strikeforce: Evolution” when he dominated then-champ Josh Thomson to unify the 155-pound title. El Niño will get thrown right back into the fire as Coker intends to pit his ace against Dream lightweight king, Shinya Aoki.

“Aoki and Melendez is going to happen before summertime,” Coker told the website.

It hasn’t even been 24-hours since Diaz became Strikeforce’s first welterweight title holder, but Coker is already making calls to his friends in the Orient to request the services of the talented Hayoto Sakurai.

Most are surprised by this decision as it was believed Jay Hieron earned a shot at the strap after he dismantled Joe Riggs on Saturday night’s card. However that was the last fight on Hieron’s current Strikeforce deal, so that brings up questions regarding the Xtreme Couture-trained fighter’s future.

As far as the baddest female on the planet, Coker states that the talented Erin Toughill will get next dibs at Cyborg. Toughill holds an impressive 10-2-1 professional record and comes equipped with a solid ground game, however it’s CYBORG.

There isn’t a woman alive that is on her level, but it appears Toughill will get the next shot at determining how much ahead Cyborg is from the field.

Coker professes the fireworks will start flying this Spring when they make their second venture into primetime programming. The April CBS show is expected to feature the company’s most prized possession, Fedor Emelianenko, as well as the middleweight title bout between champ Jake Shields and newly-signed Dan Henderson.

Look out, is Strikeforce starting to make a legit dent???

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