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Strikeforce middleweight imports Roger Gracie and Tim Kennedy are scheduled to face each other in July, likely at UFC 162.

Gracie confirmed news of the fight with Gracie Magazine on Monday. The bout had previously been reported as taking place from Brazil in May.

Gracie (6-1) moved down to middleweight after a loss in Strikeforce at 206 pounds. Kennedy (15-4) is a former contender to the Strikeforce middleweight title.

Tim Kennedy, a decorated war veteran and former contender to the Strikeforce middleweight title, will be featured on the upcoming History channel program “Ultimate Soldier Challenge.”

The premiere of the show is set for Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET.

The basis to the show will see U.S. Army Rangers square off with Britain’s Royal Air Force Regiment square off against one another in competitions, along with a rogue private group of contractors. The competitions will include machine gun and sniper rifle shooting, close quarters combat and a mission to rescue an agent held hostage.

Kennedy (15-4) was a Staff Sergeant with the Army Rangers. He earned a win over Trevor Smith last month in Strikeforce.

Photo credit: Showtime

Michael Bisping was on the cusp – again – of competing for the UFC middleweight title, but could not clear the final hurdle.

Bisping fell to Vitor Belfort Saturday night at UFC on FX 7, ending his run at a match with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

“The Count,” who is never afraid to speak his mind, had to expect his fellow fighters to comment on the loss – and they did.

Both Luke Rockhold, the last Strikeforce 185-pound champion, and Tim Kennedy made mention of the match on Twitter late Saturday night after Bisping was stopped by Belfort.

— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) January 20, 2013

I am SO happy right now!#UFCFX7

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 20, 2013

Both Rockhold and Kennedy have signed with the UFC after the closing of Strikeforce, though neither has a match lined up. Rockhold did post that he is ready to go whenever the UFC calls his name.

Tim Kennedy made it known that he has agreed to become a UFC fighter, and he has a fight lined up if his new bosses are interested.

Kennedy, who twice competed for the Strikeforce middleweight title, responded to several posts on Twitter regarding a potential meeting with Chris Leben Wednesday night.

“@cropduster85: “@cripplerufc: Chris Leben vs @timkennedymma” I am a big Chris Leben fan, and he and I would put on a great fight.

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 16, 2013

Kennedy (15-4) finished off his Strikeforce career with a submission victory over Trevor Smith earlier this month. Leben, meanwhile, returned from a year-long suspension for a failed post fight drug test with a loss to Derek Brunson. “The Crippler” is 22-9 overall.

Tim Kennedy wants to help clean up mixed martial arts.

Recently, Roy Nelson made a push for the use of VADA testing to help clear the air surrounding any use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Kennedy, a military veteran, believes Nelson is on the right track.

“Mixed martial arts is supposed to be about tradition, honor and integrity,” said Kennedy, during a recent interview with BloodyElbow.com. “But these dudes are just cheating their asses off. It’s a sport, guys, stop acting like it’s not. Do the right thing and have some integrity.”

Kennedy (14-4) is set to face Trevor Smith in January, and made it clear he was down for improved testing, saying, “You can come over and draw a sample out of my eyeball. At two o’clock in the morning, you can come and collect my semen samples. I don’t really care as long as it ensures that we have clean athletes.”

Photo credit: Showtime

Tim Kennedy is a military veteran and decorated hero.

Kennedy, who has been filling his Twitter profile with posts reflecting his feelings on gun control, took time from that to take a shot at his fellow Strikeforce fighters recently.

I guess I should pullout of my last @strikeforce fight due to “injury” so I can have a for sure ride to the @ufc #NotHowiRoll

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) December 21, 2012

Kennedy will be facing Trevor Smith in January at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. It remains to be seen if he will be added to the UFC’s roster like so many other Strikeforce competitors recently.

The card has been hit hard by the injury bug, losing a pair of title fights and several other bouts, as well. Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold and Lorenz Larkin are just a few who have been forced out of action.

Strikeforce announced that, for the second time in as many months, they would be cancelling a planned card.

The November 3 Strikeforce event from Oklahoma City was axed on Friday, and both Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy took to Twitter to discuss the matter.

Rockhold was originally set to face Lorenz Larkin at the card, but it was reported several weeks ago that he would miss the fight with a wrist injury suffered in training. He confirmed that news on the social media site Friday.

So @strikeforce nov 3rd cancelation finally announced sorry bout that one guys! I should b healthy and ready to go for Jan.

— Luke Rockhold (@rockholdMMA) October 12, 2012

Kennedy, meanwhile, was slated for action vs. Trevor Smith.

Thank you @strikeforce for letting me read about my flight being canceled on the Internet. I was 9 weeks into my fight camp. Awesome!

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) October 12, 2012

Former Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy will return to action this November.

Kennedy (14-4) has signed on to face Trevor Smith at the November 3 card from Oklahoma City. The bout will likely serve as part of the Showtime-televised main card.

The main event for the night took a hit recently, as Frank Mir was forced out of a planned encounter with Daniel Cormier. Strikeforce officials have confirmed that they are planning on keeping Cormier on the card, though no new opponent has been named yet.

Smith (10-2) has gone 2-1 since signing with Strikeforce. He was recently defeated by Gian Villante.

Kennedy lost to Luke Rockhold in his most recent fight, failing to claim the Strikeforce title. He is 5-2 with the promotion.

Former Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy sees a potential match out there in Roger Gracie.

Kennedy, an ex-military fighter, was recently defeated by Strikeforce 185-pound champion Luke Rockhold. Now, he would like to test his skills against Gracie, a newcomer to the division.

I read @cokersf said @rogergracie was the best grappler in @Strikeforce . I would love to prove that is not the case.

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) July 23, 2012

Gracie (5-1) debuted at middleweight against Keith Jardine earlier this year, earning an easy decision victory. While he was unable to put the ex-UFC fighter away, Gracie was never in any trouble, nearly locking up several submission attempts.

Kennedy (14-4) has gone 0-2 in his quests to wear Strikeforce gold, falling to Rockhold and Ronaldo Souza.

Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold wasn’t able to get the thrilling finish he was seeking Saturday night at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy.

Instead, Rockhold was forced to go through 25 minutes of action with Tim Kennedy.

By the time the fifth round ended, it was Rockhold standing tall, as he successfully defended his title for a second time with a decision victory.

However, the win wasn’t exactly what Rockhold was striving for, as he remarked on Twitter Sunday.

Thanks everybody, that was a tough fight, wasn’t my best but I got the job done!

— Luke Rockhold (@rockholdMMA) July 15, 2012

It remains unknown who Rockhold will be paired against next, as he was set to fight Kennedy for several months now before injuries kept the two apart.