April 25, 2008
MELENDEZ
VS. THOMSON SET FOR JUNE 27th
Tickets Go On Sale May 5
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Following a year of anticipation,
Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion, Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (14-1), will put his coveted title on
the line against number one contender and Bay Area arch-rival, Josh “The Punk” Thomson (14-2), in the
main event of a Strikeforce mixed martial arts mega-card at San Jose’s HP
Pavilion on Friday, June 27th.
Tickets for “Melendez vs.
Thomson,” priced from $30, go on sale Monday, May 5th, at 10 a.m. PT
at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster
locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com),
and on Strikeforce’s official website (www.Strikeforceusa.net).
Originally slated for March 29th,
the showdown between the 155 lb. superstars was put on hold after it was
learned that Thomson would have to undergo surgery for a left shoulder injury
he had sustained on his way to victory over Adam Lynn at Strikeforce’s event at
The Playboy Mansion on September 29, 2007.
“This is a very big fight for the fans, for the promotion and for Josh and me,” said the 26-year-old Melendez, who turned in another stellar performance in his last effort, stopping Pat Miletich protégé Gabe Lemley with a brutal ground and pound offensive in the second round of their live SHOWTIME-televised contest at HP Pavilion on Saturday, March 29th. “Josh is a great fighter, but I’m the champ and I plan on remaining the champ for a long time.”
Unbeaten after his first nine
starts, Melendez seized the Strikeforce crown from former junior collegiate
wrestling standout, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida, on June 9, 2006, battering
Guida with kicks and punches for five rounds before being awarded the title by
way of judges’ decision.
Following his conquest of Guida,
Melendez took his skills to Japan’s now-defunct Pride Fighting Championship for
a pair of fights in the second half of 2006. Nobuhiro Obiya and top-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri were his victims,
respectively.
Last September, Melendez returned
to Strikeforce action, taking on Japan’s Tetsuji Kato in the main event of the
first mixed martial arts event in history at The Playboy Mansion. Melendez suffered a broken hand during the
fight, but persevered, effectively utilizing his jab and takedown defense to earn
a unanimous judges’ decision after three rounds of battle.
The 29-year-old Thomson, a former
wrestling star for NCAA Division I Stanford University, has been on fire of
late, winning each of his last six bouts. Only one of them, his meeting with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stud, Nam Phan,
on December 8, 2006, went the distance.
“This fight with Gilbert has been
a long time coming and we’re ready to do it,” said Thomson, a resident of San
Jose. “It’s not as if we need a feeling
out period. We both know each other very
well. We’ve trained together, we’ve
sparred together. We’re gonna come out
ready for five rounds, but we’re gonna bang it out.”
Regarding the condition of his
shoulder, Thomson is optimistic. “As
we’re training, it’s getting stronger so we’re just taking it one day at a
time,” he stated.
Prior to joining the ranks of Strikeforce, Thomson, a member of San Jose’s Team
AKA, established a reputation for being one of the sport’s most gifted
athletes. A pair of victories in The
UFC, including a majority judges’ decision over Hermes Franca four years ago,
and a win in Pride are amongst the feats that have helped him achieve
stardom.
During “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” the
first-ever SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event on June 22, 2007, Thomson
reintroduced himself to a national audience, submitting Nick “The Ghost”
Gonzalez with a rear naked choke at the 1:42 mark of the fight’s first
round.
HP Pavilion doors will open at 6
PM for “Melendez vs. Thomson” and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30
PM. The main card will commence at 8
PM.
About Strikeforce:
Strikeforce is a
world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10,
2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned
mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted
legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar
Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of
18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been
the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years
of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company
unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then, it has co-produced the first
SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event in history with its world championship
“Shamrock vs. Baroni” card on June 22, 2007.
It's about time!!!!
Posted by: Strikeforce Fan | April 25, 2008 at 08:18 AM