After weeks of speculation, Strikeforce has confirmed the postponement of the remainder of the opening round of its inaugural Grand Prix. The final two quarterfinal bouts, first set for April 9th, will now take place on June 18th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The April card, to be held at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California, will feature a pair of title fights. Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz clashes with Paul "Semtex" Daley, while Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez faces Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri.

Originally planned for Japan, the April 9th event has been shrouded in uncertainty for many weeks as Strikeforce looked for a new venue in the United States after the Japan plans fell through. With the San Diego venue now secured, the promotion will feature a double-bill of title fights. Diaz (24 wins-7 losses-0 draws and 1 No Contest) will look to make another defence of his 170-pound crown when he faces hard-hitting knockout artist Daley (27-9-2), while Melendez (18-2-0) and Kawajiri (27-6-2) fight for Melendez's 155-pound title. Melendez narrowly edged Kawajiri in their first meeting at PRIDE Shockwave 2006.

The Heavyweight G.P. delay comes amidst speculation that Strikeforce was facing difficulties in finding a U.S. state that would licence tournament participant Josh Barnett. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission in 2009 following a third positive test for steroids, and he has yet to regain his licenced in the state. As a result, other states suggested that they might also follow suit and decline to licence Barnett until his issues with the Commission were resolved, and Strikeforce has opted to travel to Texas for the June event. With Texas's lenient policy for fighter licencing, Barnett will likely have few issues in obtaining clearance to compete in the state.

In the opening round of the tournament, Sergei Kharitonov dispatched former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski, while Antonio Silva shocked many by upsetting long-time PRIDE king Fedor Emelianenko. The remaining two quarterfinal bouts, which will now be contested in June, rather than in April, will pit Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem against Fabricio Werdum in a rematch from a May 2006 bout, while Barnett takes on Brett Rogers.

The delay in the G.P. should raise the question whether this tournament will even be completed. But it's slowly emerging that there is good chance it may not be completed within 2011.