A matchup between Strikeforce 145-pound women’s champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos and top contender Marloes Coenen is likely to take place at a January 30 Strikeforce event in Miami, Florida, according to MMA Weekly.

“Cyborg” (8-1) won the title with a first-round knockout of Gina Carano in August, her seventh-straight win, while Coenen (17-3) won her Strikeforce debut on Saturday with a first-round submission of Roxanne Modafferi.

Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, originally expected to be sidelined up to six months due to a hand injury suffered in his Saturday win over Brett Rogers, underwent surgery on Tuesday for a dislocated thumb and is now likely to return early next year, according to Sherdog.

“Emelianenko said he planned to return to training, sans striking, upon his return to Russia later this week. M-1 officials said Emelianenko could headline his second co-promoted Strikeforce card in the first quarter of 2010.”

For the third UFC pay-per-view event in a row, Spike TV will air at least two bouts from the UFC 106 preliminary card on November 21, including Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders and Jake Rosholt vs. Kendall Grove.

UFC 106 is headlined by Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin and also includes Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan, and Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah.

A recently-reported matchup between heavyweight contenders Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez will headline UFC 108 on January 2 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced on Tuesday, with the winner guaranteed a title shot against the winner of the upcoming fight between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin.

The UFC also confirmed that Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva will co-headline the pay-per-view event.

Fedor EmelianenkoTop-ranked Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko could be out of action for up to six months due to a hand injury suffered in his second-round knockout of Brett Rogers on Saturday, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.

“[The hand injury] could’ve been from that blow when he had Brett on the mat at the end,” Coker today told the LA Times. “We’re hearing he could be out for four to six months.”

UFC President Dana White today commented to the LA Times about Strikeforce’s debut on CBS this past Saturday, which was headlined by Fedor Emelianenko’s second-round knockout of Brett Rogers: “CBS would be out of their mind to put that rinky-dink [Strikeforce] . . . on the air again . . . and without that backing, [promoters] won’t have the money to pay [Emelianenko].”

Light heavyweight Antwain Britt, a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 8, will make his Strikeforce debut on December 19 at Strikeforce: Evolution against Scott Lighty, according to The Curtis and Kyle Show.

“Evolution,” which airs live on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, features Cung Le vs. Scott Smith and Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza as well as Robbie Lawler and the debut of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.