Nick Diaz will step right back into the middleweight fray against Scott Smith at a 180 lbs. catch weight that will take place on June 6, on a live Showtime telecast from the Scotttrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.


“I think this is a great fight for me, but I really hate that (Smith) brings his kids to every one of his fights because now I’m going to be made out to be the bad guy or some sort of villain after I beat him up,” said Diaz in a release.


Diaz is on a roll having dominated former Strikeforce posterboy Frank Shamrock and will be fighting his second middleweight bout in as many fights after spending most of his career at 170 lbs.


Scott Smith is coming off another dynamic come-from-behind victory over the Benji Radach in bout he was losing until getting the finding the fight-finishing punch that gave him the 15th KO on his resume. 
 

“Diaz is a great fighter,” acknowledged Smith.  “He’s going to come in there and out grapple me and out strike me so what I have to do is go in there and beat him up.  I actually think this is more of a dangerous fight for him than it is for me.”


The main event will be featured Live on Showtime with a main event of Jake Shields vs. Robbie Lawler. Strikeforce also announced that Phil Baroni will be joining their ranks and will face off against the erratic Joe Riggs at 170 lbs.