Gilbert Melendez
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Entering the fight as a 2-1 underdog didn’t bother Josh Thompson. He even wore a mouthpiece that said “CHAMP” to the fight. It was a decisive victory for Thompson, as he controlled all 5 rounds of the championship fight. Josh Thompson totally controlled the fight, especially the striking. Watchers saw no sign of Thompson’s past [...]
Written by admin on June 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Miesha Tate and Josh Thompson and Bobby Southworth and Strikeforce and Gilbert Melendez and MMA.
Josh Thompson overwhelmed Gilbert Melendez for all five rounds last night to become the new Strikeforce lightweight champion, despite entering the bout as a 2-1 underdog. Strikeforce reportedly packed in almost 7,500 fans into San Jose’s HP Pavilion to see the show. Too bad fans don’t care about MMA outside the UFC.
Full results from last night’s show:
Josh Thompson def. Gilbert Melendez via decision, 5
Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan via decision, 3
Bobby Southworth def. Anthony Ruiz via decision, 3
Eric Lawson def. Jesse Gillespie via submission (RNC), 1
Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell via decision, 3
Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels via submission (RNC), 2
Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa via submission (RNC), 2
Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios via decision, 3
Brian Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac via submission (RNC), 1
Cyrillo Padhillo def. Jesse Jones via decision, 3
Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson via TKO (doctor stoppage), 2
Alexandre Trevino def. Eric Jacob via submission (armbar), 1
Written by admin on June 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Josh Thompson and General and Strikeforce and Gilbert Melendez and MMA.
Strikeforce’s “Melendez vs. Thomson” event goes down tomorrow at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. You can watch the main card live on HDNet beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET; here’s what you’ll be seeing…
Gilbert Melendez (14-1) vs. Josh Thomson (14-2) [for lightweight title]
With five straight wins in Strikeforce and an impressive ground game, Josh “The Punk” Thomson would be a credible threat to Gilbert Melendez’s Strikeforce belt, except for two things — he’s still recovering from shoulder surgery, and he and Melendez are longtime training partners, which means the champion already knows his game a little too well. It won’t be a gimme, but El Niño’s relentless aggression will likely win the day, as it usually does; though maybe he’ll go easy on his friend and let it go to a decision.
Bobby Southworth (8-5) vs. Anthony Ruiz (20-10) [for light heavyweight title]
205-pound champion Southworth actually lost his last fight against Anthony Ruiz, via TKO due to cut at “Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” in November. For unclear reasons — and if you know, please enlighten us — the match was a non-title fight, and it set up tomorrow’s rematch for the championship. Though Southworth hasn’t fought since, Ruiz has scored wins against Jimmy Ambriz and Brad Imes. Submissions are Ruiz’s kryptonite (eight of his ten losses come from chokes and armbars), so Southworth would be wise to get it to the ground before he’s stuffed again by Ruiz’s sharp striking. Still, I see Ruiz taking it by decision and earning the belt he should already be wearing. Fun fact: Southworth picked up a no-contest against James Irvin at “Strikeforce: Revenge,” when both men fell from the cage at the 17-second mark of round 1.
Nam Phan (14-4) vs. Billy Evangelista (6-0)
With a mix of punching power and ground fluency, Billy Evangelista is a promising talent in the lightweight division, and Nam Phan definitely represents the next step up in competition for him. A Strikeforce newcomer, Phan is coming off of back-to-back TKO victories; he’s lost just twice in his last 11 fights, to Gesias Calvancante and Josh Thomson. Both guys will be coming out looking to prove themselves, but I’d have to give the nod to Phan based on experience.
Luke Stewart (5-1) vs. Joe Riggs (27-10)
It was originally supposed to be Shonie Carter up against Luke Stewart, but Mr. International broke his knuckle and Joe Riggs was sent to fill in. Riggs hasn’t been in the cage since his back exploded during his Strikeforce at the Dome bout against Cory Devela in February; he had spinal cord surgery shortly after, and I wonder if his return is still too soon, especially considering he took the fight on a week’s notice. All six of Luke Stewart’s pro fights have been in Strikeforce, all his wins are by stoppage, and he’s coming off his first defeat, a decision loss against Tiki Ghosn. It’s hard to call, but if Riggs is less than 100%, he’s going to have a tough night ahead of him.
Jeremiah Metcalf (8-4) vs. Raymond Daniels (0-0)
Metcalf is being given a third chance to prove himself in Strikeforce, after being submitted by Luke Stewart in October 2006, and again by Dennis Hallman last November; he’s riding a three-fight win streak in smaller shows and is ready to get back on that horse. Daniels has the hype behind him in this match. Undefeated as a pro kickboxer, he built up an 18-0 record in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League (check out some of the destruction here). The guy could be the next Cung Le, which works out nicely because Cung Le doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in being Cung Le these days. Daniels via highlight-reel knockout.
And the undercard looks like this:
Miesha Tate (1-1) vs. Elaina Maxwell (2-2)
Chris Cariaso (6-1) vs. Anthony Figueroa (4-2)
Jesse Gillespie (1-1) vs. Dave Martin (0-1)
Bobby Stack (4-1) vs. Jose Palacios (3-0)
Brian Caraway (4-2) vs. Alvin Cacdac (4-3)
Cyrillo Padhillo (1-2) vs. Jesse Jones (2-0)
Eric Jacob (1-3) vs. Alexander Trivino (1-0)
Jorge Interiano (0-0) vs. Travis Johnson (0-0)
Written by admin on June 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Preview and Luke Stewart and san jose and Bobby Southworth and Anthony Ruiz and Strikeforce and Josh Thomson and Joe Riggs and Gilbert Melendez and MMA.
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez (14-1) and Josh Thomson (14-2) are booked to scrap during the main event at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on Friday June 27.
The 155-pound tilt between “Bay-area archrivals” was supposed to go down on March 29; however, “The Punk” has to undergo surgery to repair a left shoulder injury. “El Nino” went on to defend his title against Gabe Lemley with a second round technical knockout.
Here’s a snip from Melendez:
“This is a very big fight for the fans, for the promotion and for Josh and me. Josh is a great fighter, but I’m the champ and I plan on remaining the champ for a long time.”
Thomson is on a six-fight win streak, finishing five of those fights inside the distance mostly with submissions. He stopped Adam Lynn with a technical knockout his last time out at Strikeforce: “Playboy Mansion” in September 2007.
Here’s a snip from Thomason:
“This fight with Gilbert has been a long time coming and we’re ready to do it. 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.”
Oh yeah … this is a dynamite match up between two of the most exciting 155-pound fighters in the world. Can’t wait.
Stay tuned for more details.
To purchase tickets for the “mega-card” head over to StubHub.com or Ticketmaster.com right now.
Written by admin on April 25th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson and Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez and Strikeforce and Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson and MMA.
(The Good, the Bad, and the Leathery.)
Cyborg, Shields, and Mean Mr. Munchies may be M.I.A., but tomorrow night’s EliteXC/Strikeforce show still has some very compelling match-ups going for it, including a main event that will pit the fan-hyped Cung Le against the self-hyped Frank Shamrock in a middleweight championship bout. You can catch the action on Showtime starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Here’s what the televised lineup looks like…
Shamrock vs. Le (for Strikeforce middleweight title)
Frank (24-8-1) has talked his usual trash about how he’s going to spank the relatively inexperienced Le (5-0), but trust us, it’s only for promotional purposes; Shamrock isn’t dumb enough to actually believe he’ll be cruising through an easy one tomorrow, and unlike his brother Ken, he’s not dumb enough to stand and trade with a superior striker. Le has the most devastating kicks in MMA right now, and he ended his last fight — against Sam Morgan last November — via the ultra-rare body-kick KO. But like other fighters who come from a kickboxing background, Le’s long-range kicks often leave him open for single-leg takedowns, and Shamrock could capitalize. He’ll certainly be looking to take the fight to the ground when the moment is right and finish Le by submission, and we think Shammy will succeed in the second or third round. If they really wanted to make this one interesting, the loser would have to accept eternal banishment from San Jose.
Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim (welterweights)
A.k.a., “The Battle of the Guys Who Were Supposed to Be Fighting Other Guys.” Rage in the Cage/UFC vet Drew Fickett (32-5) has choked out fighters like Josh Koscheck, Kurt Pellegrino, and Carlo Prater, and has generally faced much tougher competition than “The Korean Icepick” (9-3), who spent most of his career in Spirit MC. We’re loving Lim’s nickname, but it’s not going to help him much against the far-more-experienced Arizona native. Both men hadn’t been preparing to face each other, so it’s a bit of a wash, but judging from how Fickett’s done against guys with Lim’s skill level, we’d say a first-round submission victory is nearly inevitable.
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Written by admin on March 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Cung Le and Preview and Showtime and Mike Kyle and Strikeforce and Gilbert Melendez and EliteXC and Frank Shamrock and Drew Fickett and MMA.
Strikeforce today announced that there would indeed be a third title fight during the upcoming “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” event — Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (13-1) will put his Strikeforce lightweight strap on the line against Gabe Lemley (11-6).
That means that the Strikeforce middleweight, lightweight and EliteXC welterweight titles will all be up for grabs at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on March 29.
Melendez is a 25-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter who trains with the Diaz brothers under Cesar Gracie in California. He’s one of the brightest young stars in the sport of mixed martial arts today.
Here are his thoughts on the bout:
““I’m looking forward to fighting in front of my home crowd. I’ve been training hard and I feel sharper than ever. 2008 is going to be a big year for Gilbert Melendez.”
“El Nino” won the lightweight belt by beating UFC veteran Clay Guida via split decision in June 2006. He won the first 13 fights of his MMA career before losing a unanimous decision this past New Year’s Eve to Mitsuhiro Ishida.
Along with Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, Melendez now makes three Cesar Gracie-trained fighters who will be competing in San Jose. It’s clearly a very important night for their camp.
Lemley, on the other hand, is looking to extend his five-fight win streak and to capture his first major title. He started his professional MMA career off slowly, losing four of his first five fights.
However, since then he has really come into his own, defeating high-caliber fighters such Guida via first round submission (armbar).
This fight makes an already stacked card even more stacked. Three title fights and the addition of Nick Diaz is a recipe for success. This could be one of the best shows of the year … and not just for Strikeforce and ProElite.
Written by admin on March 11th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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We reported last week that Cristiano Marcello was claiming to be Gilbert Melendez’s opponent when the Strikeforce lightweight champ fights on March 29th, but now it appears that isn’t the case afterall. Strikeforce VP Mike Afromowitz has told MMAJunkie that nothing was signed for a Melendez/Marcello fight, but an opponent for Gilby might be revealed today. This is the third switch in plans for Melendez in the past week and a half - he was originally slated to be part of Dream 1’s Lightweight Grand Prix, but then revealed he would instead defend his belt at the EliteXC/Strikeforce event “Shamrock vs Cung Le”.
Change has been the norm for Melendez of late. Before all this, he had been scheduled to fight other opponents — Josh Thompson and Jorge Masvidal — but they withdrew due to various injuries. The changes and rumors have been crazy for this guy, so stay tuned for updates in a few hours when Melendez will probably next be slated to headline a WWE event versus Hong-Man Choi — cornered by Rickson Gracie.
Speaking of Gracie, Cesar Gracie’s Graciefighter site is reporting that Nick Diaz will make his return on March 29th against Jae Suk Lim (aka, “The Korean Ice Pick”), the SpiritMC middleweight title holder. This is despite Lim saying after his last fight that he would next fight under ICON Sport. You’ll recall that Nick recently had plastic surgery to fix some of the scar tissue that was built up around his eyes. His volcanic eyeballs were the cause of his last loss — a doctor stoppage against KJ Noons. Well, scar tissue and getting punched in the face a lot were the cause.
“The Korean Ice Pick” is 9-3 and although not a huge name to MMA fans, he’s got the tools to bring it to Diaz. You might remember him from EliteXC: Renegade when he beat Daniel Pinedo via rear naked choke. Lim marks a change in plans for Diaz as well — Nick was originally to fight Muhsin Corbbrey on April 26th, but that fell through and Diaz was signed for the EliteXC/Strikeforce March event.
The show now includes Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le, Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett, Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez. This is a fightcard we’re liking.
Written by admin on March 10th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Strikeforce and Cung Le and Gilbert Melendez and News and Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz and MMA.
(Gilbert Melendez pounds Tatsuya Kawajiri.)
Another late March cancelled fight is now back on, but a mid-March battle is off. We’re just trying to keep up. Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez was originally scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal at the Strikeforce/EliteXC March 29th event. That match was called off when Masvidal had to drop out because of a shin injury. It looked like Melendez was going to skip the event as he was rumored to be competing in the Lightweight Grand Prix at Dream 1 on March 15th.
MMAWeekly reports that Chute Boxe jiu-jitsu coach Cristiano Marcello has stepped in to fight Melendez, so Gilby is on the March 29th fight card. Marcello confirmed the fight:
“Melendez is an excellent fighter and I am very happy to face him, especially on Strikeforce, which is a great event. We are going to travel together, me, (Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos), Master Rafael (Cordeiro) and Rudimar (Fedrigo). Cyborg will fight at the same event and we are going to make a huge presentation for the fans.”
Melendez spoke on why he is defending his belt on the 29th instead of going to Japan for Dream 1, and that he’s going to defend the belt “ferociously”.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to fight in the Dream tournament. I love fighting in Japan, but right now I have a commitment with Strikeforce. I’m looking to just put my focus on Strikeforce; I’ve got a contract there and want to fulfill it.”
“More than anyone, fans, people, my family, it’s important to me to come out ferocious, mean and show people I’m here to stay,” he exclaimed. “I’m focused and it means a lot to me to not only win, but win with bad intentions and put on a good show for the fans.”
Both Melendez and Marcello are vets of PRIDE, but also share the fact that their last loss was to Mitsuhiro Ishida. You can check out the first part of Melendez battling Ishida after the jump. For parts two and three of the fight, go here and here.
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Written by admin on March 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Dream 1 and Cristiano Marcello and Strikeforce and Gilbert Melendez and EliteXC and News and MMA.
Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez…
…American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini…
…and Sideshow Bob.
Written by admin on February 29th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on General and funny and Funny Shit and Gilbert Melendez and MMA.
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