Zaromskis Draws Spiritwolf at Challengers 12

Marius Zaromskis: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Dream welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis will meet King of the Cage veteran Waachiim Spiritwolf in a featured matchup at Strikeforce Challengers 12 on Nov. 19 at the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Miss.

Zaromskis burst on the global scene in 2009, when he knocked out in succession Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Jason High and Myung Ho Bae with head kicks. He owns other notable wins against Pride Fighting Championships veteran Seichi Ikemoto and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 alum Ross Pointon. A potent stand-up fighter, the 30-year-old Lithuanian has delivered 10 of his 13 career victories by knockout or technical knockout. Zaromskis, who succumbed to strikes from Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at Strikeforce “Los Angeles” in June, will enter his latest appearance on a two-fight losing streak. In 16 professional bouts, he has gone the distance only once.

Like his opponent, Spiritwolf has lost back-to-back fights. The 34-year-old San Diego-based welterweight dropped a unanimous decision to the unbeaten Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce Challengers 11 on Oct. 22. Spiritwolf has posted six of his eight career wins by KO or TKO and owns victories against UFC castaway Crafton Wallace and Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Brett Cooper.

A lightweight matchup pairing four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Vitor Ribeiro and the American Kickboxing Academy’s Justin Wilcox will headline Strikeforce Challengers 12, which airs on Showtime.

Vitor Ribeiro vs. Justin Wilcox
Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf
Antwain Britt vs. Ovince St. Preux
Jan Finney vs. Liz Carmouche
Caros Fodor vs. Derek Getzel