Strikeforce Challengers 14 Features Lyle Beerbohm vs. Pat Healy and Ryan Couture

The Strikeforce Challengers series has been a building block for many up-and-coming fighters in the promotion. Lately, the headline bouts on those cards have also served as a proving ground of sorts for fighters believed to be ready to make the leap to contender status.

Lyle Beerbohm

Lyle Beerbohm will get his chance to prove his worthiness as a lightweight contender when he faces Pat Healy in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 14, which will take place at Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, Texas.

Joining Beerbohm and Healy on the card will be Ryan Couture, who has yet to receive an opponent.

MMAWeekly.com sources confirmed the bouts first reported by MMAFighting.com.

Beerbohm (16-0) counts veterans Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro among his wins under the Strikeforce banner. He won three bouts in 2010, including the Ribeiro bout and two fights for a smaller promotion.

In the main event at Strikeforce Challengers 14, Beerbohm gets the opportunity to prove to promotion officials that he is ready to step into the title picture in the lightweight division. Gilbert Melendez currently heads Strikeforce’s 155-pound class, holding the promotion’s title.

Healy (23-16) is also a Strikeforce veteran, as well as a UFC veteran. His last two bouts were for Strikeforce, winning the first with a unanimous decision over Bryan Travers, but getting submitted by former champion Josh Thomson last June.

This is Healy’s chance to prove he should be given a second chance to work his way up the lightweight ladder.

Couture (1-0) made his professional debut at Strikeforce Challengers 10 with a win over Lucas Stark. He was scheduled to face Juan Zapata at Strikeforce Challengers 12 last November, but had to withdraw due to a staph infection. No opponent had been named for him as of the time of publication.

Ken Pishna is the managing editor of MMAWeekly.com.
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