Superior Cage Combat middleweight champion Bristol Marunde has agreed to step in and take on Ronaldo (Jacare) Souza on short notice at next month’s Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.
Marunde replaces Derek Brunson, who was pulled from the fight Tuesday after he failed an eye exam.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced the new matchup Wednesday on Twitter.
The event takes place March 3 in Columbus, Ohio, and will see women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate defend her belt against Ronda Rousey in the main event.
A native of Alaska, Marunde (15-6) lives in Las Vegas and fights for Team Throwdown. He’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Jay Silva at SCC 3 in November.
Souza, a Brazilian native and jiu-jitsu black belt, is the former Strikeforce 185-pound champion. He hasn’t fought since losing his belt to Luke Rockhold in September.
