When Portage's John Kolosci quit his job to train full-time in mixed martial arts, he did so with an eye on getting signed by one of the big promotions.
One year later, after grinding out four straight wins for local and regional promotions, Kolosci has apparently gotten his wish.
Sources close to the fighter's camp told The Times on Friday that the welterweight will fight Nov. 7 on Strikeforce's card at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
According to the source, Kolosci will fight Shamar Bailey on the event's preliminary card. While bout agreements have not yet been signed, the source said verbal agreements to the fight have been made.
The Kolosci-Bailey bout is a fight originally scheduled to take place earlier this summer at the War in the Yard event in Anderson, Ind. But Kolosci (13-5) had a rib injury that had not fully healed and Bailey (9-1) took a fight with M-1 Challenge in the Netherlands.
Kolosci splits his training time between L.A. Boxing in Merrillville and Gilbert Grappling in Tinley Park. Bailey trains in Indianapolis at Integrated Fighting Systems with UFC veterans Chris Lytle and Jake O'Brien.
Kolosci is now the second local fighter on the card, joining lightweight DeRay Davis of Team Corral in Schererville. Davis (5-1) suffered his first career loss in May in a Bellator Fighting Championships event at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. He'll take on Mark Miller, who also trains at Gilbert Grappling.
Kolosci first achieved national attention as a contestant on Season 6 of the UFC reality show "The Ultimate Fighter." After a loss on the show's finale card to Matt Arroyo, Kolosci had a nearly 16-month lull before his first comeback fight earlier this year.
The Strikeforce card Kolosci will fight on will be nationally televised on CBS -- the promotion's debut on the network. The Times first confirmed the location of the event last month.
On Friday, Strikeforce officially confirmed the four-fight main card. The main event features the Strikeforce debut of Fedor Emelianenko, widely thought to be the top heavyweight in the world, who will take on Brett Rogers. The currently vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt will be up for grabs when Jake Shields takes on Jason "Mayhem" Miller, star of the MTV hit show "Bully Beatdown." Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou meets light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi in a non-title fight. And Antonio Silva will fight in the United States for the first time in more than a year after serving a drug suspension from the California State Athletic Commission. He'll make his debut with Strikeforce again Fabricio Werdum.
Tickets for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers are available at Ticketmaster and Strikeforce.com.
Please Wait…