MMA & Boxing · Strikeforce · 2011

Date & time

17 Dec 2011, 01:00

Round

16

Venue

Valley View Casino Center

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Attendance

2,995

Strikeforce 37: Melendez vs. Masvidal was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. The event took place on December 17, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Background: The main event between Melendez and Masvidal was briefly in question with Dana White's announcement that Melendez was UFC bound, but the match went on as planned. Keith Jardine was expected to make his Middleweight debut at this event. However, he would instead debut at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine the following year. The Bowling/Peoples bout was supposed to be fought at Welterweight, however it was changed to a 179-pound catchweight. Peoples still missed weight and the fight went on as a 181-pound catchweight fight with Peoples fined 20 percent of his purse. The bout between Devin Cole & Gabriel Salinas-Jones was the last heavyweight fight in Strikeforce's full Heavyweight division. Two days after this event was held, Strikeforce announced the end of the division (save for Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament finalists Josh Barnett & Daniel Cormier) due to a lack of depth, and six of the promotion's remaining heavyweight fighters were folded into the UFC shortly afterwards. Former World Extreme Cagefighting announcer Joe Martinez announced this event in place of Jimmy Lennon Jr., as Lennon was announcing that same night's Showtime-broadcast Super Six World Boxing Classic boxing card headlined by Carl Froch & Andre Ward. Main Card: Lightweight / Strikeforce Lightweight Championship / Gilbert Melendez (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal Women's Featherweight / Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship / Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka Light Heavyweight / Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux Lightweight / K.J. Noons vs. Billy Evangelista Preliminary Card: Catchweight / Roger Bowling vs. Jerron Peoples Lightweight / Caros Fodor vs. Justin Wilcox Heavyweight / Devin Cole vs. Gabriel Salinas-Jones Welterweight / Herman Terrado vs. Chris Brown Middleweight / Eddie Mendez vs. Fernando Gonzalez