Three members of team Ambition, including Strikeforce veteran Brett "Da Grim" Rogers, are heading north to fight in a big show in Canada.

Rogers, Jeremy "The Hawk" Hamilton and "Thrilling" Pat Schilling all have signed on to compete as part of the W-1 card in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the Halifax Forum on Oct. 23.

The major card features several veterans of big-time promotions, and it will be broadcast on HDNet.

Rogers (10-2) will fight in the main event against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal (18-18-3).

Da Grim is fighting for the first time since his TKO loss to Alistair Overeem in a fight for the Strikeforce heavyweight title in May. Before that, Rogers suffered a second-round loss to Fedor Emelianenko in November.

Rogers holds a victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

Rogers' coach and Ambition front man Mike Reilly said his heavyweight slugger has been given permission by Strikeforce to fight outside of the organization. He is still under contract with Strikeforce.

"They were gracious enough to let us fight outside of the organization, and we're very thankful for that," Reilly

said. "We had a few things fall through (with Strikeforce) and a few things we were looking to get set up, but they didn't come together. So we were very happy when this opportunity came up."

Reilly said Rogers has been working very hard since his losses to Overeem and Fedor, particularly on his strength and explosiveness. Reilly also said Rogers has a great mental approach to bouncing back from his two recent setbacks.

"He's working very hard, and he's actually ahead of where we would normally be when we start a training camp," Reilly said. "He's already pretty advanced in strength and conditioning, and now it's even better. He's getting stronger and stronger on the ground, too. We're looking to do some K-1 stuff, so he's working on some tricks and new things on his feet, too. It's always an odd experience training with Brett. People see how big and strong he is, but I don't think they understand how fast he is. He's so much faster than people expect. ... As far as mentally, he's extremely mentally strong. He's got a great family and many great friends around him, so I think he's the kind of fighter who's not going to have any trouble bouncing back from the losses."

Villareal is a well-traveled veteran who has fought for organizations like Strikeforce and King of the Cage. Warpath has been in the cage with many of the sport's best, though he's suffered losses in all of those fights. His record includes losses to Travis Wiuff, Dan Severn, Bobby Hoffman, Ricco Rodriguez, Antonio Silva, Bas Rutten, Mike Whitehead, Justin McCully, Paul Buentello and Tim Hague. Villareal also fought to a draw against Don Frye.

"I saw Ruben fight here, when he fought Travis Wiuff," Reilly said. "That was many years ago, but I've also seen him fight in California. A lot of people will dismiss and overlook him, but we're not those people. He's got a ton of experience; he's a crafty vet. He has a wide range of skills. He's also a very unorthodox fighter. But he works hard, and he's going to come at you hard. He's fought a lot of the best, and he's lost to most of those guys, but he comes in there with the intention of winning every time. We're going to approach him the same way we would any of the top heavyweights in the world."

Hamilton (6-0) will step into the cage against a TUF veteran in Jamie Yager (2-2) at 185 pounds. It will be Hamilton's first fight since taking out previously unbeaten Kelly Beyers during the semifinals of the middleweight tournament at Treasure Island for a Strikeforce Challengers contract. The tournament finals still haven't taken place and no time frame has been set, so Hamilton is heading to Canada.

Reilly said he is uncertain of the Strikeforce tournament status.

"I'm not sure if it will be suspended or what's going to happen," Reilly said. "But again, we were fortunate enough to be allowed to go pursue other opportunities. And I think this is a fantastic opportunity for Jeremy."

Reilly called Hamilton Ambition's hardest worker.

"Jeremy might be the hardest working fighter I've ever had the pleasure of working with," Reilly said. "He literally lives in the gym. He's there at all times. He absorbs knowledge from everywhere. I think this really is a great opportunity for Jeremy, both financially and profile wise. It's a much bigger chance than he could have received here in Minnesota. Eyes will be on that fight because people want to see how Yager bounces back. And they'll want to see who this young kid is that he's fighting."

In six professional fights, Hamilton has three knockouts. His striking could be his most dangerous weapon, though Reilly said Hamilton is dangerous on the ground, too.

Yager defeated Ben Stark and Charles Blanchard on the 11th season of TUF, but then he was eliminated by Josh Bryant. Yager was asked to fight in the TUF 11 Finale, where he took on Rich Attonito. Yager suffered a second-round TKO loss and was quickly cut by the UFC. This will be his first fight since his UFC release.

"Yager is athletic, and we expect him to be fast and strong," Reilly said. "He's a tall guy. He's really an interesting fighter. He brings a lot of different things to the table. But Yager is the kind of world-class athlete Jeremy is looking to fight. He's undefeated, and he's beaten everyone pretty easily so far. He wants to get to that next level, and he wants to take on the best."

Schilling (2-0 as a pro) has not yet received his opponent. He had a wildly successful amateur career, going 8-0 (six submissions) while competing mainly for Brutaal Genesis. Schilling was the former Brutaal Genesis featherweight champion.

Reilly believes this is the type of opportunity Schilling needs to make a jump to the next level.

"He's one of these kids who works excessively hard," Reilly said. "He's improved his striking and submission game a lot, and he's been able to build off of his wrestling base. There are a lot of tools left in Pat's toolbox that he hasn't been able to show off yet. He's fought some tough guys, and he's been dominant in those fights. It's a great chance for him to step up to that next level and get the exposure I know he wants. Pat doesn't want to be the hometown hero. He wants to be bigger than that."

Schilling is a Cottage Grove native who graduated from Park High School in 2007. He was a standout wrestler at Park and went on to wrestle collegiately at Minnesota State, Moorhead.