Kyle in for V. Overeem against Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva

by www.Sherdog.com Staff

Resurgent American Kickboxing Academy representative Mike Kyle (Pictured) will lock horns with former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva in a featured matchup at Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu 2” this Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Strikeforce officials on Monday made Sherdog.com aware of the matchup.

Kyle replaces Valentijn Overeem, who withdrew from the event with an elbow injury.

Based in San Jose, Calif., Kyle will carry a four-fight winning streak into the match. The 30-year-old last appeared at an Xtreme MMA show on Nov. 5, when he stopped Stephen Oliver on first-round punches at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre in Sydney, Australia. A potent finisher, Kyle has delivered 12 of his 18 career victories by knockout or technical knockout, including a June 2009 upset of reigning Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. He owns a 2-2-1 mark inside Strikeforce.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Silva has not competed since he earned a unanimous decision over former UFC heavyweight king Andrei Arlovski at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery” in May. A black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the 31-year-old has won seven of his last eight fights, losing only to the world-ranked Fabricio Werdum in that span. In 16 professional appearances, Silva has been finished only once.

A light heavyweight showdown between two-time Olympian Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral will headline Strikeforce’s year-end event, along with a middleweight tilt pairing former EliteXC champion Robbie Lawler with 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland.