Longacre and Calanoc, both 4-0, are no strangers to each other. They may not be the best of friends, but the talented prospects have trained at the same gym and known each other for years.

Both have lived in or around Tulsa for the majority of their lives. The 31-year-old, 5-foot-8 Longacre was born and raised in Sapulsa, Okla., and went to Kellyville High School in Kellyville, Okla. The 28-year-old, 5-foot-8 Calanoc was born in Anaheim, Calif., but moved to Tulsa when he was an infant. He attended Union High in Tulsa and, later, Tulsa Community College.

"This is a huge fight for Tulsa and one that people have been talking about for a long time," said Longacre, who currently resides in Tyler, Tex. "My fights sell out almost every time there and with all the fighters from the area that Strikeforce has put on this card, I can almost guarantee this one will too. Fans are going to come out big time for this."

Said Calanoc, whose wife also fights MMA: "Longacre and I have always known it was only a matter of time before we’d fight. We’ve trained some together and both work for LA Boxing. I work for the one in Tulsa. He works for the one in Sherman, Tex.

"Tulsa fans are in for a tremendous fight and a tremendous night. Tulsa fans continue to become more educated about MMA. Sure, they still love the all-out action but now they understand that MMA is more than just getting punched in the face. It’s still the most exciting, but it is only a facet of the sport.

"Longacre was already fighting Muay Thai fights before I turned pro, so I’ve actually watched him fight for real. His standup is very good. So is mine. This definitely has the makings of a stand-up war and is a great, natural fight for the city of Tulsa and SHOWTIME. It could be the fight of the night."

Longacre wrestled in grade school and junior high but played baseball and football in high school. He had an opportunity to play football at Haskell Indian Junior college, but "it was too far from home, plus I was a mama's boy and wanted to stay close," he said.

His foray into the martial arts started with karate. "I was doing OK in karate but one day an instructor said ‘why not do full contact?’ so I got into kick-boxing, which I did for seven-eight years. I had about 30 fights in Las Vegas, Texas, Germany and Oklahoma. I fought in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League. Then I got into MMA," said Longacre, whose parents met at an MMA gym and are still active members.