[Cat--Smasher]

Coker: Strikeforce middleweight title shot could be in line for 'Jacare'-Brunson winner

Normally, Scott Coker doesn't like to be in the business of predicting what might or might not happen before a fight takes place

But Thursday, the Strikeforce CEO made a slight exception when he said the winner of Saturday's fight between middleweights Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (15-3 MMA, 5-1 SF) and Derek Brunson (9-1 MMA, 3-0 SF) could be next in line for champion Luke Rockhold (10-1 MMA, 9-0 SF).

Especially, it seems, if that winner is Souza, the former champ who lost the belt to Rockhold nearly a year ago.

Souza and Brunson meet in the co-main event of "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman," which takes place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The five-fight main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET. A four-fight preliminary card gets a broadcast on Showtime Extreme at 8 p.m. The card's main event is a women's bantamweight title fight between champion Ronda Rousey and former champ Sarah Kaufman.

"Luke Rockhold, our champion, has made it very clear he'd like to fight Jacare," Coker told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) following Thursday's pre-event press conference. "Last time, he won the fight, but he didn't do it in the style and the manner he wanted to do it. This is a tough fight for Jacare, and if he can get through Brunson, that's a fight we would probably would like to make happen."

Coker: Strikeforce middleweight title shot could be in line for 'Jacare'-Brunson winner | MMAjunkie.com