Starting our weekend of non-stop action, Strikeforce presents their fourth installment of the Challengers series on Showtime at 8 PM PT/11 PM EST featuring a main event showdown between two touted lightweight fighters that will surely be a war of attrition. The rest of the card is rounded out with a plethora of regional talent from the various camps such as the American Kickboxing Academy and taps into the local talent in the Fresno area as well. It should give fans a real opportunity to see some of the up-and-coming talent that will likely make an impact in the future of Strikeforce.

In the evening's main event, former UFC fighter Jorge Gurgel (13-5) will battle undefeated Strikeforce prospect Billy Evangelista (9-0, 1 NC) in lightweight showdown between a rejuvenated veteran and a rising star. Gurgel enters the contest coming off an unanimous decision victory over Conor Heun at ShoMMA II back in June while Evangelista is coming off a no contest against Mike Aina at ShoMMA I in which Aina was hit with what was perceived as a knee to the head while he was down. Further review after the fight revealed that the knee never actually hit Aina's head, thus the bout was overturned to a no contest.

While Gurgel enjoyed novelty success as a fighter who left everything in the Octagon during his stint in the UFC, most fans would state that Gurgel was a victim of trying to be too fan friendly in the way he fought. Instead of trying to excite fans with an aggressive mentality and a throw-caution-into-the-wind style of fighting, he may have produced more success had he relied on his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt abilities versus his kickboxing strategies. 

After being released from the UFC following his loss to Aaron Riley at UFC 91, Gurgel moved to Strikeforce and hinted at the possibility that he would move toward a style more suited to his mastery of the ground game. Unfortunately, we didn't see that against Conor Heun. We could easily see more of the same in this match-up as both Gurgel and Evangelista have shown a desire to stand and bang, likely what Strikeforce is banking on in this battle. 

This is a fairly tough fight to call if both men are going to bang it out. Evangelista's speed could be a huge advantage, but Gurgel is definitely willing to eat a number of blows to push the pace and damage his opponent. I still think Evangelista's agile footwork could be the difference here. 

SBN coverage of Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Gurgel

In heavyweight action, rising star Shane Del Rosario (8-0) will make his debut with Strikeforce after a three-fight stint with M-1 Challenge in which he demolished all opponents inside one round of action. He'll be taking on undefeated heavyweight Brandon Cash (5-0), who has equally been impressive in ending bouts in quick fashion. Both men will bring their power into this hard-hitting heavyweight match-up.

It's tough not to pick Del Rosario in this battle. He's faced better competition than Cash, and he's remained much more active this year with three fights while Cash hasn't fought since February. Rosario's striking coupled with his power is going to be a huge roadblock for Cash to wade through, and Rosario has the ability to finish quickly once he hurts his opponents. This should easily be a bout for Strikeforce to showcase Rosario, a guy who could legitimately become a top heavyweight in the promotion in the future.

One of the fights to keep an eye on will be a battle between The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 finalist Jesse Taylor (13-4) and rising prospect and American Kickboxing Academy-trained Luke Rockhold (5-1). Taylor is coming off an unanimous decison loss to Jay Hieron at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, but he managed to rattle off seven straight wins after his loss in the UFC to C.B. Dolloway at UFN 14. Rockhold's most recent win came at ShoMMA II against Cory Devela, who he submitted in only 0:30 seconds.

Taylor's gameplan will likely be to use his wrestling and power to maintain top control and damage Rockhold. While that's a good plan in theory to stop Rockhold's jiu-jitsu and striking ability, I think Rockhold will present a challenge for Taylor in terms of takedown defense. Rockhold trains with some of the best wrestlers in the sport in Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, and he rolls with Jake Shields on a consistent basis. Rockhold should be able to damage Taylor if he can keep this fight standing, but the real question will be whether he can submit Taylor off his back in a worst case scenario dilemna in which Taylor works top control for most of the fight.

Quick Picks

Lightweight bout: Ousmane Thomas Diagne (1-0) vs. Merritt Warren (2-3): Diagne will look to bring his Sanshou style of fighting into the cage against a submission fighter in Warren. Diagne is a student under Cung Le, another Sanshou style fighter who made the transition to MMA. Pick your horse, but I'd bet on Diagne as Warren has been susceptible to being finished quickly.

Women's (135 lbs.) bout: Elisha Helsper (1-0) vs. Zoila Frausto (3-0): I really couldn't tell you too much about either competitor in this match-up. Frausto seems to have more experience, but Helsper is listed in some places as being 6-1 currently. I'll take Helsper in this one, but I'm interested to see what both women bring to the table in the 135 lb. weight class for Strikeforce, especially if they are trying to continue developing a women's division.

Lightweight bout: Ben Holscher (3-0) vs. Johnny Goh (1-2): Local high school teacher and former 2x NCAA Division II National Qualifier wrestler Ben Holscher will once again battle in his backyard as he'll take on another local fighter in Johnny Goh. I'll take Holscher's wrestling experience in this match.

Featherweight bout: Casey Olson (10-3) vs. Chris Culley (4-5): Olson comes out of the same high school as Ben Holscher in Clovis High. He was a two-time All-American and state champion for Fresno City College and two-time NCAA Qualifier for Fresno State in wrestling. He'll bring his very capable ground abilities in against a scrappy fighter in Culley. I'll take the local favorite here in Olson as he has more experience and offers more danger in the submission game on the floor.

Bantamweight bout: Cole Escovedo (13-4) vs. Maurice Eazel (7-10): This will be Escovedo's second fight back after being partially paralyzed by a staph infection back in 2006 that caused him to retire from the sport. After successfully recovering, he's back in the mix of fighting at a new weight of 135 lbs. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission expert should have no problems putting Eazel into danger in this scrap.

Welterweight bout: Luke Riddering (2-0) vs. Rico Altamirano (2-2): Riddering had two successful stints within ShoXC in which he won in quick fashion via TKO in the first round in both contests. Riddering is actually one of the only black belts under John Hackelmann (in what? I don't know) as he was one of the first youths to participate in Hackelmann's kids programs nearly a decade ago. Fast forward to present, and he's now the owner of The Pit North along with his wife Christina Riddering, also a MMA fighter. He should be able to make quick work of Altamirano in this contest.