Tonight on Showtime Strikeforce's latest Challenger series features a female welterweight fight between Takayo Hashi and Sarah Kaufman for the promotion's vacant title.

Originally Strikeforce placed the history making fight as the co-main event but earlier this week the promotion elevated Kaufman vs. Hashi to the main event.

Kaufman (10-0) has fought in Strikeforce twice before, defeating both Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler via unanimous decision (videos after the jump). Sarah's previous eight fights all ended via (T)KO. Surprisingly, Kaufman was a dancer before discovering martial arts in British Columbia. Most observers have pegged Sarah Kaufman as a rising star within women's MMA, yet she won't ffollow the Gina Carano path as it isn't her "style".

Takayo Hashi (12-1) will be making her Strikeforce debut and has only fought twice in the past two years. Hashi is known as a grappler as none of her wins have come via (T)KO while she placed third in her weight class at the 2007 ADCC's. Hashi even received the nickname the "Grappling Queen" in Smackgirl's open-weight division. Despite that branding Takayo recently said she wanted to stand and trade with Sarah. WKR won't hold our breath on that one. 

Strikeforce is also planning to hold a 135lbs. female tournament between either four or eight fighters to face the winner of Kaufman-Hashi.

SBN coverage of Strikeforce Challengers: Prangley vs. Amoussou

(Check out WKR's podcast preview of Hashi vs. Kaufman)

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Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Zach Krantz: Cain's coming out party.  Yes, he has trouble finishing and needs to either develop more power with his ground and pound or some sort of submission game, but none of that takes away from the fact he has dominated his fights in the UFC.  I do not expect Cain to submit or even finish Rodrigo, but that is nothing new (for both fighters).  An impressive win for Cain will probably be met with some Nogueira critiquing, but Cain will prove he is the real deal with a decisive Unanimous Decision. 

Nick Becker: Plain and simple, I don't buy into the Velasquez hype. Defeating Ben Rothwell didn't make me a believer and if he throws the same weak ground strikes against Nogueira that he did against Cheick Kongo he get subbed pronto. Nogueira has the better boxing and when the fight hits the ground, "Minatauro" will hold the edge there too. Unless Big Nog is suffering from another severe staph infection I don't see how he'll lose. Nogueira via Submission Round 2.

Spencer Kyte:  Velasquez is the future of the division, but Nog isn't done quite yet. I expect this to be an absolute war, with Cain coming out strong and Nogueira doing what he does best - refusing to die and finding a submission late. Nogueira, Sub, Round 3.

Zak Woods: The way the heavyweight division currently stacks up this will be Cain's first real test (sorry Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo). Despite the youth vs. experience storyline we keep hearing, I think that Velasquez's skills are a poor match-up for Nogueira. For all the talk that Antonio has better striking his punches are slow and it should be easy for the younger Velasquez to avoid. I think if this fight stays on its feet we could see a lot of sloppy boxing with a great deal of clinch work. On the ground is where things get more dicey. Nogueira is an excellent submission artist and Cain's bread and butter is ground-and-pound--which skill will rise to the top? Personally, I believe with Nogueira's age and the collective toll of the damage he has suffered that he will be unable to complete a submission as he is pummeled in the face by Velasquez. Besides, Jon Fitch told me the closed guard was dead. Cain via Unanimous decision.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping

Zach Krantz: I go back on forth with this fight more than any other.  I mean Silva is 1-5 in his last six fights (granted against tough competition), but Michael Bisping is Michael Bisping.  As a fan it is hard to pick against the man/team you want to win, but I think Bisping is going to take this.  I expect "The Count" to get the takedown and finish it from there.  Silva's chin is no longer ironclad and enough moderate shots will do damage.  Bisping via TKO in round 2. 

Nick Becker: Man, this is a tough one to call. I believe that Bisping will try to employ the same strategy he did against Chris Leben, staying on the outside and countering Wand's wild strikes. The thing is at some point Silva will force his way inside and rock "The Count." When "The Axe Murderer" smells blood in the water, he'll go in for the kill and finish the fight in devastating fashion. Wandy by KO (of the Night) Round 2.

Spencer Kyte: Plain and simple: until Michael Bisping beats a big name, I won't pick him to beat a big name. Plus, Wanderlei is feisty heading into this match... expect an explosion! Wanderlei, TKO, Round 1.

Zak Woods: This fight is either a great style match-up for Bisping or a horrible one. That may sound like a cop-out but Bisping likes to run away roll out and counter strike. Wanderlei's desire to push forward may fall right into Bisping's roundhouse and as Silva's chin is a shadow of what it once was, he could very easily be knocked out with simple straight left. On the other hand, Bisping has been dropped by Denis Kang, Matt Hamill and Elvis Sinosic not to mention the epic KO at the hands of Dan Henderson. With Bisping's inability to avoid the most basic weapons of his opponent, e.g., circling into Henderson overhand right, and suspect chin, he could easily be felled by Wanderlei who still has striking power. Silva via TKO Round 2. Remember Matt Hamill!

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

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Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-5-1, 1 NC, 3-1 UFC) vs. Cain Velasquez (7-0-0. 5-0 UFC)

The Story So Far

The grizzled veteran versus the young bull.

The decorated champion looking to make one last run at the title takes on the unbeaten young fighter many have pegged as the future of the division.

The former champ faces the future champ.

However you want to word it, this is the old guard battling the new guard and it's going to tell us a lot about both fighters. It also serves as the "alternate match" for a future title bout against Brock Lesnar, as the winner of this war will be looked to in the event of an injury sidelining the winner of the UFC 111 Interim Heavyweight title bout between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir.

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Michael "The Count" Bisping (18-2, 8-2* UFC) vs. Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (32-10, 2-5 UFC, 1-3 UFC current run)

The Story So Far: Odds are that if you are a reader of this site (not sight) you know both these fighters very well.  Bisping was the poster boy for the UFC's expansion across the pond on the pond (seriously, the greatest nickname for a country) thanks to his two stints on The Ultimate Fighter; one as a fighter and one as a coach.  In season 3 Bisping was displayed as a talented fighter, but kind of a dick.  Bisping was given an opportunity to redeem himself as a coach, but once again he was displayed as a dick.  Whether it is editing or simply a representation of his personality, "The Count" is not the most well liked fighter on this side of the Atlantic.  However, if we are able to look past his personality, he is a talented fighter.  Looking at his record (counting Hamill fight as a W) his only two losses in his career are to Rashad Evans (former UFC Champ and current #3 Light Heavyweight) and Dan Henderson (former PRIDE champ and current #3 Middleweight).  Combine that with 8 wins in the UFC and you have pretty solid resume.  Obviously what is lacking is the signature victory over a top opponent as Bisping was cakewalked to help promote the UFC in the United Kingdom.  Many would say Wanderlei is past his prime, but it a win in Australia would put a marquee name on Bisping's victory list.

Wanderlei Silva made his mark on the MMA community during the Pride dominance.  He is a former Pride Middleweight champion who has beaten fighters such as Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, Ricardo Arona, and more.  However, his trip to the UFC following the downfall of Pride has not been met with success.  He has gone 1-3 and is actually 1-5 in his last six fights with his sole win in the UFC against Keith Jardine.  Despite all this, Silva is still the fan favorite and has already shown his displeasure with Bisping.  For many fans in the U.S. there is a clear heel and face for UFC 110's showdown.  The big question regarding Wanderlei is if his struggles are due to a huge drop-off in skill or simply a case of him facing the top of the division.

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

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George Sotiropoulos (11-2, 4-0 UFC) vs. Joe Stevenson (36-10, 8-4 UFC)

The Story So Far

This fight is interesting for a number of reasons.

Can Stevenson continue his Greg Jackson fueled resurgence. Or will Sotiropoulos ride a wave of Aussie national pride in the UFC's Australian debut?

Sotiropoulos initially made some waves in the TUF season six and defeated Billy Miles on the Finale show. Unfortunately, George suffered an injury and was unable to compete for over a year. The Aussie returned strong though as he dropped to lightweight and defeated George Roop and Jason Dent. 

Joe Stevenson has been with the UFC for a number of years and has challenged for the title before. While Stevenson had a stretch where he went 1-3, those three losses came against B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez--all top five lightweights in the UFC.  Recently. things have been been going well Stevenson has put together a two fight win streak beating Nate Diaz and Spencer Fisher.

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

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"The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (15-6-1, 6-5 UFC) vs. Ryan "Darth" Bader (10-0, 3-0 UFC)

The Story So Far

In one of UFC 110's featured attractions, veteran Keith Jardine faces off against up-and-comer and TUF season 8 winner, Ryan Bader.

A KO loss to Thiago Silva this past August handed Jardine the first consecutive loss of a fighting career that has spanned close to nine years. "The Dean of Mean" has gained a reputation for being consistently inconsistent as prior to the UFC 102 defeat, Jardine had spent the past three years alternating wins and losses on his record. This fight marks a bit of a departure for Jardine who had been featured in either the main event or co-main event in his last five fights dating back to UFC 76. Hard to believe it was less than two years ago that Jardine had the opportunity to defeat both Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva in back-to-back fights. One senses that this is a must-win fight for Jardine who faces the danger of perhaps being relegated to the ‘Spike prelim' portion of PPV broadcasts if he doesn't come away with the victory here. Not helping Jardine's cause is the fact that he hasn't won a clear-cut fight since UFC 66 when he TKO'd Forrest Griffin in the first round.

As the winner of one of the least watched TUF seasons in history, Ryan Bader doesn't necessarily have the full weight of the UFC-hype machine behind him despite his undefeated record. In just under three years of fighting as a professional, Bader has amassed an impressive 10-0 record, but he has yet to face off against a top-tier opponent. After easily dispatching Vinny Magalhaes to win the TUF 8 crown, it looked as if Bader's promising career might end before it ever really got started when he sustained a serious knee injury during his victory over Carmelo Marrero at UFN 18 in April, tearing both his MCL and PCL. Bader returned to action just seven months later as he dominated Eric Schaffer at UFC 104, cruising to a unanimous decision victory.      

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (25-7-2, 2-3 UFC) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7, 0-1 UFC)

The Story So Far: Another loss for Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and his legacy may be more scarred than Mickey Rourke's acting career pre-The Wrestler.

Mirko's first UFC run was as close to a catastrophe as is humanly possible. Filipovic went 1-2 with upset losses to Gabriel Gonzaga (he is still making money off that win) and Cheick Kongo. After back-to-back losses Mirko and the UFC parted ways and Filipovic competed in Japan for a year before re-signing with Zuffa to be apart of the UFC's German debut. While Filipovic defeated Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 99 he looked far from impressive (he basically had to poke Al-Turk in the eye to win). Mirko would follow this victory with a fight against Junior dos Santos at UFC 103, where dos Santos forced Filipovc to submit --via strikes! 

After the loss at UFC 103, WKR wanted to retire the name "Cro Cop" (the guy in the cage was not the Cro Cop we watched in Pride) and it even appeared that Mirko was ready to retire. Alas, the allure of paydays as an international draw for the UFC kept Filipovic in the game.

Ben Rothwell will be looking for his first win inside the UFC. Rothwell made his Octagon debut at UFC 104 and lost to Cain Velasquez.

"Big" Ben is a former IFL fighter, who went 9-0 in the organization with wins over Roy Nelson, Krzysztof Soszynski and Ricco Rodriguez. After the IFL folded Rothwell signed on with Affliction and fought Andrei Arlovski.

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Randy Couture (17-10) vs. Mark Coleman (16-9)

Zach Krantz: Mark Coleman's time with Shawn Tompkins may be a huge help for him as it may be the first time Coleman has worked with a top trainer and gone through a legitimate training camp.  However, he is too one dimensional and I do not see a massive evolution at this point in his career.  Randy Couture will take this fight with a second round TKO finish. 

Nick Becker: No matter what the ‘new and improved' Coleman brings to the table, Couture still holds the edge in every category there is. Although it won't be pretty, I expect "The Natural" to walk away victorious after 15 minutes of fierce man-hugging. Couture via Unanimous Decision. 

Spencer Kyte: Randy holds the upper hand in what will be the most important factor in this fight: cardio. We know from recent experiences that Couture has the tank to go the full 15 in the trenches against younger, tougher and more talented fighters than Coleman. Yes, "The Hammer" went the distance with Stephan Bonnar last time out, but he didn't offer anything noteworthy in that bout. Couture by Unanimous Decision/

Chris Shanks: Randy Couture via TKO.

Zak Woods: I have my doubts about Couture but I still thinks he wins a hideous looking fight. Couture via split decision.

Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

Zach Krantz: Sonnen has already begun hyping his next fight against Anderson Silva.  Too bad he is not going to get there.  Sonnen is a solid fighter who is just recently getting his deserved recognition.  Too bad he is facing one of the most versatile fighters in the UFC.  Nate has too many ways to finish a fight and Sonnen is not a finisher.  Nate will get taken down, but when he gets back up the fight will eventually finish.  Expect another second round TKO and this one is courtesy of Nate Marquardt. 

Nick Becker: Nice work Chael - you've successfully riled up the MMA community. We can all agree that Sonnen has done a great job of getting noticed these past couple of weeks, but in the cage he'll have much more than he can handle. "The Great" wants another title shot in the worst way and he'll get it with a win here - I just hope that he finishes this fight with another Killer Instinct-style Ultra Combo. Marquardt by TKO Round 2.

Spencer Kyte: Chael Sonnen is right - Nate Marquardt is better at everything than he is. Marquardt by TKO, Round 1.

Zak Woods: Chael has been making waves and as a result people are taking notice but that doesn't alter the fact he is fighting a superior fighter. Marquardt via submission Round 2.

SBN coverage of UFC 109: Relentless

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