Strikeforce: Kennedy-‘Cyborg’ to Clash Sept. 25

Tim Kennedy will lock horns with hot-and-cold Pride Fighting Championships veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in the featured bout at Strikeforce “Challengers Series 3” on Sept. 25 at the SpiritBank Event Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Finished only once in his eight-year career, Kennedy (10-2) will carry a two-fight winning streak into the match. The World Extreme Cagefighting and International Fight League veteran last appeared in June, when he stopped form Bodog Fight champion Nick Thompson on second-round punches. Kennedy, 29, also holds notable victories against Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Ryan McGivern. He expects fireworks from Santos.

“I think we’re both pretty explosive fighters and we both show up to fight,” Kennedy said. “We both like to throw some big bombs, so it’s a good matchup. I don’t think anybody can really plan to see what I’m coming in to do this time. I’m working with the best boxing coaches and training with Mark DeLaGrotte, one of the best MMA striking coaches in the world, so I think that people are going to see a new Tim that they’ve never seen before.”

Just one fight removed from a gruesome arm injury suffered in a technical knockout loss to Siyar Bahadurzada, Santos (16-13) dropped a split decision to Joey Villasenor at a Strikeforce show two months ago.

“I was just a little bit out of rhythm and was coming off an injury so my training was not 100 percent,” Santos said. “This is not an excuse. It’s just something natural that all athletes go through when they stop fighting for a long period of time.”

The 31-year-old Chute Boxe Academy stalwart has lost four of his last five fights. Santos has delivered 14 of his 16 career wins by knockout, TKO or submission.