Middleweight Bristol Marunde

By FCF Staff

Bristol Marunde (15-6) will replace Derek Brunson in the Strikeforce middleweight (185 pounds) matchup with “Jacare” Souza (14-3) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Sat., March 3.

Brunson was pulled from the card on Tuesday after he failed an eye exam necessary to secure a license to fight.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-1 Marunde, a native of Alaska who fights out of the Las Vegas area, is the reigning middleweight champion for the Las Vegas-based promotion Superior Cage Combat.  He will enter the Strikeforce cage for the first time in his career, in the midst of a stellar 9-1 stretch in competition.

Marunde  captured the Superior Cage Combat championship by defeating former UFC competitor Jay Silva by way of unanimous decision on Nov. 4, 2011.

The 32-year-old Souza’s start will be his first since he gave up his Strikeforce title to Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision on September, 10, 2011.  Until the loss, Souza, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Manaus, Amazona, Brazil, held a perfect 4-0 record in the Strikeforce cage.

Updated Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey fight card:

Main Card (Airs on Showtime)

Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight (135 pounds) Championship Main Event:

Miesha Tate (Champion) vs. Ronda Rousey (Challenger)

K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson

Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki

Bristol Marunde vs. “Jacare” Souza

Lumumba Sayers vs. Scott Smith

Preliminary Card (Airs on Showtime Extreme)

Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman

Caros Fodor vs. Pat Healy

Ryan Couture vs. Conor Heun

Roger Bowling vs. Brandon Saling