First it was Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Then it was Luke Rockhold. Now it’s … Melvin Manhoef?
I guess the good news is that Strikeforce is clearly determined to have Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy fight someone at on March 5 in Columbus, Ohio.
According to a report on MMA website Sherdog.com, an injury has sidelined Rockhold just days after he was announced as Kennedy’s next opponent. Manhoef (24-8-1), a veteran K-1 fighter, announced on Twitter earlier today that he’d be replacing Rockhold.
A striking specialist, Manhoef has lost four of his last six fights, with all of the losses coming in the first round. He is considered largely one-dimensional, having excellent stand-up skills and a weak ground game.
Kennedy, a Special Forces soldier and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was originally slated to fight Miller. Both fighters are in the top tier of the Strikeforce middleweight division, and they had split their previous two meetings.
But that matchup fell through, and Miller was replaced by the relatively unknown Rockhold last week. Rockhold announced on Twitter yesterday that he had hurt his leg, and would need 2-3 weeks to heal.
Kennedy (12-3) has not fought since losing a five-round decision to Ronald “Jacare” Souza in a title fight last August.
