Canadian Prospect Mein Draws ‘Cyborg’ for Strikeforce Debut

Strikeforce officials announced Monday via Twitter that both Santos and Mein (Pictured) have verbally agreed to the matchup, which has been tabbed for a Sept. 10 event, about which little is known.

The event will air live on cable channel Showtime, though the location and venue have yet to be revealed.

Also confirmed for the Sept. 10 card was a trio of previously reported bouts: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will defend his middleweight title against once-beaten American Kickboxing Academy product Luke Rockhold, while former 155- and 205-pound champs Josh Thomson and “King” Mo Lawal square off against Maximo Blanco and Roger Gracie, respectively.

Santos, 33, has gradually moved down the scale since beginning his career at light heavyweight. The Chute Boxe fighter propelled himself into title contention in his 170-pound debut, drubbing Dream champion Marius Zaromskis in June 2010. Santos, the husband of Strikeforce women’s 145-pound ace Cristiane Santos, was last seen in January, when he was forced to submit to a second-round armbar from Nick Diaz.

Only 21, Mein steps onto the big stage with nearly 30 bouts under his belt. The Lethbridge, Alberta, native has gone 22-7 with 19 finishes since turning pro at 16 years old, and holds victories over UFC veterans Joe Riggs and Josh Burkman. Most recently, Mein outpointed Zaromskis after three rounds in the main event of the inaugural Score Fighting Series show on June 10.