3 Main Card Bouts Remain TBA for Strikeforce's Showtime Debut

MMAInsider spoke on Tuesday with night owl Scott Coker on the shape of Strikeforce's Showtime debut on April 11.

As of now, the HP Pavilion event is set for main card bouts, however, three opponents have yet to be determined.

Confirmed for the card:

Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz
Josh Thomson vs. TBA
Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach
Jake Shields vs. Joe Riggs
Gilbert Melendez vs. TBA
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. TBA

In other news:

* Gina Carano's participation in Strikeforce is still not finalized. However, Coker believes the MMA star will grace a May show tentatively planned for the Tacoma Dome in Washington. Robbie Lawler is also expected to participate on the Pacific Northwest card, but an opponent has not been finalized.

* Mitsuhiro Ishida is "definitely a name that's been tossed around" to face lightweight champion Thomson.

* The full undercard for the April event should be finalized tomorrow. One rumored participant is Evangelista Santos, husband and fellow "Cyborg" of Cristiane.

* Japanese stars Shinya Aoki and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai will fight for Strikeforce before the end of the year.

* Negotiations with Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson's representatives are ongoing. While the number of fights on his contract remain static, parties are ironing out "ancillary" items in his deal like scheduling and opponents. Coker expects a face-to-face meeting with Kimbo's team in the coming weeks.