Perhaps one of the greatest fight cards Strikeforce has ever put together will be showcased this Saturday on Showtime as this will be Strikeforce’s first event since being purchased by UFC parent company, Zuffa.

Strikeforce has put on a lot of great shows in the past and has had a lot of great match-ups, but this fight card is on another level. Headlining the show will be Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz taking on No. 1 contender Paul Daley.

This fight was close to being in jeopardy after Zuffa purchased Strikeforce and Daley’s ego rose to the surface. Daley was kicked out of the UFC after giving a cheap shot to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 last year and has put together a couple of knockout victories to earn a title shot in Strikeforce.

Daley eventually got over himself and accepted the title match with Diaz. This sets up a very dynamic fight between two excellent strikers and has “fight of the night” written all over it. Diaz has been dominant in Strikeforce, going 5-0 in the company and has a current nine-fight win streak. Even though Diaz is a phenomenal striker, if the fight stays standing, I have to give the edge to Daley as he is the prominent striker in the welterweight division.

Diaz could take this fight to the ground where he has a tremendous advantage, but going off of Diaz’s recent performances, he likes to beat his opponent at their own game. That’s what makes this fight so intriguing, and I cannot wait to see how this one unfolds.

The second title fight on the card is between the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez is one of the best lightweights in the world, and doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because he’s not in the UFC.

After defeating Josh Thompson at K-1-Dynamite Power of Courage 2010, Kawajiri will make his Strikeforce debut and will have his hands full with Melendez. Kawajiri is a skilled opponent, but I believe Melendez will be too much for “The Crusher” to handle.

The other two fights on the card feature two of the best fighters in their respected weight classes. The first fighter is Gegard Mousasi, and he takes on veteran Mike Kyle in a light heavyweight bout. Mousasi was riding a 15-fight win streak and was the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion before being dethroned by Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal last year.

Mousasi is now on a two-fight win streak, and I look for him to increase that to three after this Saturday. The other fighter that has been highly-ranked for the last couple of years is Shinya Aoki, and he takes on fellow lightweight Lyle Beerbohm. Beerbohm has only one loss in 17 professional fights and Aoki has beaten a list of who’s who in the division. This should be a fantastic fight between two talented guys and I expect a war between these two.

You are not going to want to miss this exciting card on Saturday at 9 p.m.