Cung Le steps down, Shields v Mayhem for 185 title

 LE STEPS DOWN; SHIELDS VS. MILLER FOR 185 BELT

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker Thursday confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that his middleweight champion, Cung Le, has booked another major motion picture role and will relinquish his belt.

Jake Shields and Jason Mayhem Miller will now vie for the undisputed title under the eye of CBS when the two meet at the promotion’s primetime network debut Nov. 7 at location to be announced early next week. A report on ESPN.com says the Sears Center Arena in Chicago is under intense consideration, citing sources close to the situation. The telecast will air live from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Coker was unaware whether the broadcast would be tape delayed to other parts of the country.

I had a conversation with Cung and he has a lot of respect for Jake and Jason, and he’s got another movie coming up, so he’s asked me if he could step down, which we’re going to honor his request, said Coker. By no means does that mean he’s going to be retired, but he’s going to be unavailable for the next two months.

Coker said he hoped to book the newly minted movie star again after his filming obligations are completed, though nothing was confirmed.

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