It looks like Christmas is coming early for Keith Jardine. Despite going 2-5-1 in his last seven fights, Jardine is reportedly getting a Strikeforce title shot in a weight class he’s never fought in before.
That’s right, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that Jardine will challenge Luke Rockhold for his Strikeforce middleweight title on Jan. 7 in Las Vegas.
Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is slated to defend his belt against former UFC veteran Keith Jardine on Jan. 7, MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources close to the fight. The title fight is expected to headline the organization’s first event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Strikeforce has yet to officially announce the card or any fights signed for it as of Thursday evening.
Sherdog also confirmed that Jardine will fight on the card, but didn’t mention anything about the match-up.
According to the MMA Fighting report, Tim Kennedy was originally supposed to face Rockhold in a title fight that would have made more sense, but he suffered an injury and won’t be ready. Considering their second choice, it seems they ran out of reasonable options.
Despite the severe lack of depth on Strikeforce’s roster, rumors still persist that a contract extension with Showtime is possible and may even be likely.
Image via Daniel Archuleta for Sherdog
