Fickett to Replace Riggs at Strikeforce? Not So Fast…

Yesterday it was announced that UFC veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission and with that he was forced to withdraw from his welterweight bout with Luke Stewart.

According to reports, UFC veteran Drew “The Master” Fickett was scheduled to step in and face Stewart at a catch weight of 178 pounds. Unfortunately it looks as if the bout may now be off.

For weeks now, Fickett has been slated to face Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford at MFC 17: Hostile Takeover on July 25, 2008 at the River Cree Casino and Resort in Edmonton, Alberta. With the bout being only a month away, it would make no sense for Mark Pavelich and his staff to allow Fickett to fight and risk injury.

Someone brought up the news on ‘The Underground’ and MFC president Mark Pavelich responded by saying “Not anymore”. While it’s very vague, it appears that Pavelich was referring to the bout between Fickett and Stewart being off.

Strikeforce Weigh-In Results

Gilbert Melendez (155) vs. Josh Thomson (155)
Bobby Southworth (204.5) vs. Anthony Ruiz (203)
Elaina Maxwell (146) vs. Meisha Tate (145)
Raymond Daniels (184) vs. Jeremiah Metcalf (185)
Chris Cariaso (135.5) vs. Anthony Figueroa (135)
Nam Phan (154) vs. Billy Evangelista (155)
Brian Caraway (140) vs. Alvin Cacdac (141)
Cyrillo Padhillo (169) vs. Jesse Jones (169)
Travis Johnson (205) vs. Jorge Interiano (201)
Eric Jacob (156) vs. Alexander Trivino (156)
Bobby Stack (155) vs. Jose Palacios (155)
Jesse Gillespe (186) vs. Eric Lawson (185)

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.