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Strikeforce has not yet given up on plans to feature a 145-pound women’s bout on its upcoming June 18th event in Dallas, Texas, but the promotion has encountered another roadblock after attempts to replace Gina Carano with Olympic judo bronze medallist Ronda Rousey failed to materialise.

New Strikeforce matchmaker Sean Shelby contacted Rousey earlier this week after Carano was forced off of the Dallas card due to revoked medical clearance, but Rousey is already scheduled to face Charmaine Tweet one day earlier in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and a war of words has begun.

News of Rousey’s potential Strikeforce signing was first noted on her official Facebook page on Thursday evening. Rousey attributed her inability to compete for Strikeforce on June 18th – in a bout against Carano’s original opponent, Sarah D’Alelio – to Tweet’s manager, Cord Crowthers. The Facebook posting appeared to blame Crowthers exclusively for Rousey not being released from her contract with Hard Knocks Fighting Championship, where Rousey will face Tweet on June 17th.

“[It] would actually tickle my fancy if anyone who thinks what that manager Cord Crowthers did was f-ed up would personally message him and relay your thoughts on the subject,” Rousey wrote.

Crowthers, however, paints a different picture of the events that led to the decision to retain Rousey for her co-main event bout with kickboxing champion Tweet, which has been promoted for many weeks.

“Charmaine has been trying to locate an amateur fight for over a year, and was turned down flat by all top 25-ranked fighters and their camps in North America,” Crowthers says. “We were told that they would not fight her based on her impressive kickboxing background. So we made the decision to go straight to pro. This proved just as tough, as she was turned down again by many camps.

“When Ronda took the fight nearly three months ago, we were very excited, but also realized that a fight with a top 10-ranked fighter as a debut fight had a lot of pros and cons. If Charmaine wins, she is instantly in the mix for bigger things such as being noticed by Strikeforce, as we knew Ronda already was. If she loses, she will be stuck in a fighter’s limbo going forward.”

At issue, according to Crowthers, is the fact that Rousey would have been forced to pull out of her bout with Tweet on very short notice in order to step in to face D’Alelio for Strikeforce.

“If the cancellation notice was brought to us several weeks ago, it may have been a different outcome,” he says. “However, what people have to keep in mind is that we have sponsors, promoters, web broadcast networks [GoFightLive] and, most importantly, fans and ticket buyers to answer to. It’s not just about Charmaine.

“So when Hard Knocks called and asked us [for] our opinion, we took time to consider all options. We went as far as to contact Sarah D’Alelio’s camp and asked them [for] their thoughts on what we should do. After considering everything, we agreed with all involved that we needed to keep the contractual obligations upheld.”

Crowthers further states that this development has led to both Tweet and Rousey’s camps receiving angry messages, and he claims that extra security will now be on hand at the upcoming “School of Hard Knocks 12” event where Tweet and Rousey will compete. This is supported by Hard Knocks promoter Ari Taub, who has spoken with Calgary police after Rousey received death threats over the possibility of pulling out of the fight.

Taub tells MMARising.com that he would have been open to releasing Rousey from her contract with Hard Knocks had she been under a multi-fight deal, but he states that he has a legal obligation to look out for the best interests of both contracted fighters, and allowing Rousey to fight for Strikeforce would significantly hinder Tweet’s career and her own chances of receiving an opportunity in Strikeforce moving forward.

Taub believes that both fighters will receive an opportunity with a larger promotion such as Strikeforce by the end of the year, and Strikeforce representatives have expressed interest in potentially signing the winner of next Friday’s bout.

The contract that Rousey was offered by Strikeforce was reportedly a four-fight deal that would have begun on the 18th against D’Alelio, who is currently without an opponent after Carano was abruptly forced to withdraw from the event this week. It is currently unclear whether Strikeforce will continue to pursue additional avenues to secure a last-minute opponent for D’Alelio, but this week’s developments appear to have lit a fire under Rousey, whose bout with Tweet has become even more interesting.

Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: “School of Hard Knocks 12” takes place on June 17th at the Century Casino in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Strikeforce: “Overeem vs Werdum” is scheduled for one day later at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.

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• Strikeforce: Gina Carano vs Sarah D'Alelio

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