Unbeaten light heavyweight Lorenz Larkin will replace Satoshi Ishii and take on kickboxing specialist Scott Lighty on the Strikeforce Challengers card on Friday, April 1, at Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif.

The event, which is presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, will air live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Due to the recent natural disasters that struck Japan, Ishii, the 2008 Judo Olympic Games Gold Medalist, was unable to acquire a visa permitting him to leave his homeland in time for the fight. Taking his place is Larkin, a 25-year-old who has made quick work of his last five foes, winning all by stoppage inside three rounds. In his most recent outing, he registered a second round TKO over Mike Cook on Feb. 25.

"Lorenz is a talented, undefeated fighter whose aggression and power make him a threat in the light heavyweight division," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "He's in for a tough test against Scott Lighty, who has trained with some of the sport's best like Chuck Liddell. This is the biggest fight of his young career."

Larkin agrees with Coker's assessment and believes a win over Lighty in Stockton could propel him into the mix in the Strikeforce 205-pound division.

"This is definitely a step up for me, but I'm excited and looking forward to the challenge,'' Larkin said. "Lighty's a good fighter with a lot of experience. But I've trained hard, I'm in good shape and I'm confident.''

In the televised main event, former NCAA wrestling standout and body builder Justin Wilcox (10-3) will face Rodrigo Damm (9-4) in a lightweight bout. In other fights on Showtime: Rapidly-rising David Douglas (6-2) will take on Caros Fodor (7-2) at 155 pounds, Josh Thorrnburg (6-2) and James Terry (9-2) clash at 165 pounds and Damian Douglas (3-1) meets Wayne Phillips (5-3) in a welterweight battle.