All 16 athletes will participate in the final weigh-in on Friday, Dec. 18, just one day prior to the Strikeforce: Evolution mixed martial arts fight card on Saturday, Dec. 19, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on West Coast). The weigh-in are free of charge and open to the public.

The undefeated Le, one of the most dynamic fighters in MMA, will enter the cage for the first time since relinquishing the Strikeforce middleweight (185 pounds) title to concentrate on an acting career. Le will face Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, a hard-hitting puncher and contestant on season four of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter reality show, in the main event of the evening.

Thomson will square off with Interim Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez in a long-awaited rematch to determine the undisputed king of Strikeforce's 155-pound division. Thomson seized the lightweight crown by earning a five round, unanimous judges' decision over Melendez at HP Pavilion on June 27, 2008.

Muhammad Lawal will make his Strikeforce debut when he meets Mike Whitehead, Matt Lindland will battle Jacare Souza at middleweight, and "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will face an opponent yet to be determined as Trevor Prangley was pulled from the card.

Tickets, priced from $30, are on sale at the HP Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce's official website (www.strikeforce.com).

If you are in the San Jose area, the address of the open weigh-ins is below:

San Jose Marriott - San Jose Ballrooms 1-4
301 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Strikeforce: Evolution Fighters to weigh-in:

• Undefeated Former Strikeforce World Middleweight Champion Cung Le
• Hard-hitting striker Scott Smith
• Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson
• Interim Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez
• Former NCAA wrestling champion and undefeated MMA fighter "King Mo" Lawal
• Two-time All-American College Wrestler Mike Whitehead
• Former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt "The Law" Lindland
• Submission expert "Jacare" Souza