Rick Roufus Ready to Fight Maurice Smith at Strikeforce

Rick Roufus will make his MMA debut against Maurice Smith.

World kickboxing champion Rick "The Jet" Roufus didn't get an easy fight for his mixed martial arts debut.

Saturday, Feb. 23 at Bodog Fight Presents Strikeforce at The Dome, Roufus will face former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith.

As if facing an octagon belt owner for your first MMA fight wasn't bad enough, Roufus will do it in front of Smith's home-state crowd in Tacoma, Wash.

But after nearly a hundred professional kickboxing and boxing bouts, Roufus isn't a man easily shaken, and looks forward to taking on Smith in the cage.

"I think it's going to be a great fight," he says. "I've been training for MMA not just at my gym, but I also went over to Greg Jackson's in Albequerque, New Mexico and I got to train with all-American wrestler Mike Van Arsdale. This fight was chosen by Maurice, so we stepped up and we took the opportunity."

A decorated kickboxer himself, Smith says he'll trade strikes with Roufus - but "The Jet" thinks that plan will change once the bell rings.

"I don't think Maurice is really going to stand," he says, "He's trying to play games with me, but I'm prepared for the standing and the ground. I've got bricks in both hands and I'm ready to show the MMA world I'm for real."

Odds for Bodog Fight Presents Strikeforce at The Dome
Saturday, Feb. 23 - Tacoma, Wash

• Bob "The Beast" Sapp (-800) vs. Jan "The Giant" Nortje (+500)
• Maurice Smith (-340) vs. Rick Roufus (+260)
• Eddy Ellis (+170) vs. Steve Berger (-210)
• Jorge Masvidal (-220) vs. Ryan Healy (+180)
• Joe Riggs (-280) vs. Cory Devela (+220)

Bet on Strikeforce in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Strikeforce At the Dome is being presented by Bodog Fight. Tickets for the event are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, the Tacoma Dome box office and the official Strikeforce website.