Who’s ducking who, now? In a rivalry that seems to be growing bitterer by the day, Bellator FC CEO Bjorn Rebney and Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez continue to seek a “champion vs. champion” match against Strikeforce and its Lightweight Champion, Gilbert Melendez. Rebney and Alvarez officially played the “ducking” card a few turns ago, insinuating that Strikeforce had too much to lose if Alvarez beat their champion and that Melendez was being protected. Recently, the Cesar Gracie-trained “El Nino” fired back with a burst of his own. In summary: Gilbert Melendez will fight anybody and everybody, and ducks nobody. He’d even fight the UFC’s champion if he got the chance. ...

The back and forth between CEO's Bjorn Rebney and Scott Coker has been well documented. Without question both Bellator and Strikeforce are two of the top-tier promotions in the business (behind the UFC) and have become so by consistently putting on some of the best fights in recent memory. Now with the acquisition of world class fighters within each promotion, it has been Bjorn, the Bellator CEO, that has gone out of his way to get in touch with Scott Coker of Strikeforce. However, Coker has refuted claims that Bjorn has contacted him, let alone text him. Rebney upped the ante recently when he released pictures indicating otherwise. ...

Trying to keep a co-promotional rivalry friendly is like trying to not get wet when it’s raining. The recent back-and-forth between Strikeforce and Bellator FC is simply further proof that a co-promotional rivalry can quickly turn ugly despite the best of intentions. What began as a great fight between two great champions (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez versus Bellator FC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez) has now turned into Melendez ducking Alvarez and Strikeforce ducking Bellator, at least according to Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.  But according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, it’s all a glorified publicity stunt. ...

Yesterday I posted an article stating that Eddie Alvarez, the current Bellator FC Lightweight Champion, is now a “Top 5” fighter after destroying Roger Huerta at Bellator 33. That opinion hasn’t changed, and it won’t change for quite some time. Following his big win over the former UFC star, talks have once again centered on Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez, the Lightweight Champion of the more-famous Strikeforce promotion. And according to Bellator FC’s CEO, and even Eddie Alvarez himself, Melendez/Alvarez has officially crossed the line from “it just needs to be worked out” and is now a case of “Gilbert Melendez is ducking Eddie Alvarez, Strikeforce is ducking Bellator FC”. Here are all the details. ...

The recent talk of a Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez “strikeforce Champion vs. Bellator Champion” dream-fight got me thinking: how would cross-promotion benefit these two drastically different companies? Bellator is home to some of the most promising newcomers in the sport although they lack a lot of big-name talent, Strikeforce has a large roster of big-name talent but don’t have a lot of low-to-mid-level fighters to fill their ranks. I think both promotions would only profit from a co-promotional agreement, so here are my top five reasons why I think a Bellator/Strikeforce partnership would work. ...

Last night was a great night of fights, which has become a trend for the famed strikeforce brand, especially when welterweight champion Nick Diaz delivers and you throw in "The Punk" on the card, in front of fan friendly, San Jose crowd. Josh Thomson, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion whom lost his title in a title unification bout (and rematch) with Gilbert Melendez, was hoping to garner his second consecutive victory when he met with the world-ranked "JZ" Cavalcante in the co-main event of last night's great night of fights. Proving to be a formidable force in the ring, the American Top Team product in "JZ" displayed his strength, proficient grappling skills, and his heavy handed ground-and-pound. However, it wasn't enough to earn him the judges nod, and Thomson took the fight all across the board. Thomson may have walked out the "winner", but it looks like Josh and only three other people (the judges) think he actually won the fight. ...

Shinya Aoki is probably one of the most reserved fighters in the sport. Although his in-ring antics against Mizuto Hirota at "Dynamite!! 2009" would inidicate otherwise, the grappling ace usually keeps to himself and refrains from doing a lot of outlandish things. Maybe that's why the Japanese have embraced him as their leading man in the world of mixed martial arts. However, most recently, the famed Judoka has stepped out of his shell and lit the MMA world abuzz once again, with his almost brutal honesty, on how he views the Western MMA scene (um...us) and how they can benefit by tuning into DREAM, once in a while. ...

When it comes to “dream fights”, Bellator FC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez taking on strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez registers pretty high on my radar. In fact, I honestly consider it the biggest Lightweight match that could be made outside of the UFC. Alvarez recently confronted Scott Coker about making this match a reality, but the Strikeforce CEO seemed hesitant to work out a deal. Recently Coker has shed some additional light on the subject. Here are the highlights from an interview with Sherdog. ...

Bellator lightweight champion is a force to reckoned with in his weight class. After an illuminated run in Japan, where Alvarez has picked up some of the biggest wins of his career, which includes victories over the likes of former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen, former Shooto champion Tatsuya Kawajiri and current DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno. Not impressed? En route to Bellator gold, he was able to submit all three of his opponents, including the heralded Toby Imada, a Jiu-Jitsu whiz who became an internet sensation with his inverted triangle choke over lightweight notable Jorge Masvidal, which garnered Imada the "Submission of the Year" on several publications, including a trophy award at the 2009 World MMA Awards, hosted by Fighters Only. So when Alvarez, 26, heard word that Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has called him out on numerous occasions, the Philly fighter didn't take too kindly to it. ...

With the hype train behind Fedor Emelianenko now derailed, many are left wondering what happens not only to strikeforce’s Heavyweight division, but where Strikeforce as a whole goes from here. Some call Strikeforce a breeding ground for UFC cast-offs, while followers of the San Jose-based promotion are quick to point out that Strikeforce contains world-caliber champions and aspiring newcomers, resulting in fight cards that are a hit more often than not. Going forward, here’s what I think will be the keys to success for Strikeforce. ...

The Tennessee Athletic Commission determined yesterday that five individuals engaged in "conduct that is detrimental to a professional contest of unarmed combat." Those five individuals will receive fines and suspensions. ...

A fight between Strikeforce lightweight champion "El Nino" Gilbert Melendez (18-2) and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez (17-2) is in the works. We are finally starting to see cross-promotional fights that the fans have been clamoring for since the days of Pride Fighting Championships. ...

Last night I was unfortunate enough to watch mixed martial arts (MMA) take a step back, a ten year step back. Strikeforce allowed the members of the Cesar Gracie camp to put a beating on a man for simply asking for a rematch live on national television. ...

Strikeforce lightweight champion “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (19-2) stunned Dream champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (19-5) in a strategic unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Nashville Saturday night by judges' scores of 50-45 three times.  Fighters.com scored the fight for Melendez 49-46, giving Aoki round one. The fight was repetitive and Melendez came into the fight with a perfect strategy. ...

Two of the most talked about fighters in the lightweight division will meet inside the cage in April in a Strikeforce versus Dream title fight. Fighters.com second-ranked lightweight and Dream champion "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (19-4) will face off against Strikeforce lightweight champion "El Nino" Gilbert Melendez (17-2). ...

As the new year is fast approaching I sat pondering how far this sport of ours had come since it's beginning. Then the future of the sport started to permeate my thoughts. Where will we see it go in the coming year? Will it fade a little bit or will we see it continue to forge ahead and make it's way into the upper echelons of the sporting world? I am a mma radio host as well as a journalist but first and foremost I am a mixed martial arts fan and I have three wishes for the coming year. ...

“El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (17-2) regained the Strikeforce lightweight championship in a five-round decision over “Punk” Josh Thomson (15-3-1) in San Jose Saturday night. "I just wanted to perform better than I did the last time," said Melendez said after the victory. ...

Today in an interview with Fight Magazine Frank Shamrock (22-9-1) stated "I don’t want to fight  Jake Shields because he has no personality, he’s a boring fighter, and when he got on to CBS, and it was his chance to be a star, he leg humped ["Mayhem" Jason Miller] all night long, and killed our ratings. That’s why I don’t want to fight Jake Shields". ...

UFC lightweight “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) told Sherdog Tuesday that he is officially a free agent and would consider signing to fight in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator Fighting Championships. ...

Interim Strikeforce lightweight champion “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (16-2) TKO'd “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (19-5-1) at 2:56 in the third round to retain his dubious title and avenge a 2007 UD loss in San Jose Saturday.

"I just had to be focused today," Melendez stated after the W. "I'm focused, I'm motivated. I can't guarantee I'll win every fight, but I guarantee I'll come out and perform for you."

Next up is the title fight versus "Punk" Josh Thomson (15-2-1) that was originally scheduled for Saturday.
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Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-8) and challenger “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) made the 205-pound weight limit for their title fight in San Jose Saturday with pounds to spare. Defending champion "Babalu" weighed 201 pounds while challenging prospect Mousasi weighed 204 pounds. Heavyweight UFC cast-off "Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) weighed 228 pounds. His late replacement opponent, American Kickboxing Academy's "MAK" Mike Kyle (11-6-1), weighed 219 pounds. ...

"Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (19-4-1) will fill-in for Strikeforce lightweight champ "Punk" Josh Thomson (15-2-1) in San Jose 15 August, giving "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (15-2) a crack at avenging a different loss than he had originally planned. Ishida took Gil' the distance for a UD at Yarennoka in Tokyo on New Year's Eve 2007.

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Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (15-2) talked to reporters in San Jose 27 June, 2008 after taking the title from “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) by unanimous decision. ...

After his loss to "Punk" Josh Thomson (15-2) Friday in San Jose, "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-2) spoke to reporters. Melendez seemed comfortable with the loss and actually entered the press conference in better condition than Thomson, despite losing by 50-45 on all cards.

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"Punk" Josh Thomson (15-2) won a five-round unanimous decision over "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-2) for the Strikeforce lightweight title Friday night in San Jose by scores of 50-45 on all three cards. "[Melendez] is the toughest motherfucker I've ever fought," Thomson declared after dominating the former top ten 155-pounder. In the final round, Thomson landed a front kick to Melendez's face as if to say, "All night, Gil" All night, Thomson kept Melendez at bay with a front kick. And, when Melendez passed that, he got zapped with a jab, and a hammered with a knee after that. Melendez stalked for five rounds, right hand cocked; but, Thomson never set long enough for Melendez to get a beat on him with his knockout punch. In the fourth and fifth rounds, Thomson shot and scored takedowns, nearly finding a rear naked choke as the fourth round dinged closed. But, Melendez was just out-kickboxed in every round and gassed trying to corner Thomson for the big shot. Stack Attacks Palacios Crowd favorite Bobby Stack (5-1) out-wrestled lightweight San Shou fighter Jose Palacios (3-1) over three rounds for a UD by scores of 29-28 three times. The southpaw Palacios's right hook over Stack's jab convinced Stack to take the fight to the mat after that punch popped Stack's mouthpiece free in the first round. Stack took damage for the single-leg shots, but muscled Palacios down and nearly sank an armbar with 25 seconds left in round two. Stack declined the stand-up again in the third session and rode Palacios across the mat most of the round, though Palacios defended adeptly. The "W" was sealed in the last half of the round when Stack mounted and landed shots to Palcios's head. ...

"It's time to fuckin' fight," "Punk" Josh Thomson (14-2) told Fighters.com. Thompson will challenge friend and former training partner "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-1) for the Strikeforce lightweight title Friday in San Jose. "There are no mind games,"  Thompson assured.  "Why bother [even watching video of Melendez]?  I've had first-hand experience." Like Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le (6-0) versus “Legend” Frank Shamrock (23-9-2), this Bay Area match-up was inevitable. Unlike Le versus Shamrock, Thompson and Melendez respect each other. Melendez told 15 Rounds last week, "Thomson is one of the pioneers for the 155-pound weight class. In my opinion, he is in the top ten.  I know he’s going to be a tough opponent. He’s very well rounded.  It will make for a very exciting fight for the fans and for myself." ...

Fighters.com's sixth-ranked lightweight "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-1) will defend his Strikeforce title from "The Punk" Josh Thomson (14-2) 27 June in San Jose, Strikeforce announced today. Thompson has been Strikeforce's top contender at 155-pounds for awhile.  Last September "The Punk" TKO'd Adam Lynn (11-8) in front of Hef' and the bunnies at the Playboy Mansion. Melendez mopped up an over-matched Gabe Lemley (11-7) in March after losing his first professional fight last December to "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1). MMA Junkie reports Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (8-5) will defend his title versus Anthony Ruiz (20-10) on the same card. ...

Lightweight should really have a top twenty because the division is stacked with talent across promotions and across the world. 1. "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti (14-1-1) "JZ" has brushed Andre Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in '06, part of 13 straight without a loss.  He needs a win over Aoki to cement his Fighters.com top ranking. 2. "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (14-2) Aoki has nine straight wins, including MMA's first gogoplata stoppage over Joachim Hansen. Inability to put away tough debuting judoka Bu Kyng Jung keeps him from first place. 3. "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-3) Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Ishida.  A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned last month with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig. 4. "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn (12-4-1) "The Prodigy's" return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. 5. "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1) After a stoppage by Gomi, "Endless Warrior" returned strong in a decision over Melendez to add to his '06 decision over Marcus Aurelio. 6. "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-1) "El Niño" blew out versus Ishida last NYE, but proved his worth with decisions over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Clay Guida.  Melendez benefits from action on both continents. 7. "Mach" Hayato Sakurai (32-7-2) "Mach" has murdered lesser competition the last two years, but guarded the lightweight gate from tough up-and-comers Hidehiko Hasegawa, Mac Danzig, and Luciano Azevedo.  Sakurai missed DREAM's Grand Prix, but needs to get back to top fighters. 8. "The Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk (31-2-1) "The Muscle Shark" has been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian.  He was the UFC's first lightweight titlist since the division was reinstated and challenges Penn for title he was stripped of. 9. "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3) Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD. "KenFlo" is ready for a second run at the title. 10. Hermes Franca (18-6) Despite a year suspension, Franca has been busy the last two years with stoppages of Spencer Fisher, Nathan Diaz, and new WEC champ Jamie Varner.  He's only dropped a UD to Sherk. ...

Top Strikeforce welterweight contender Drew Fickett (33-5) locked in his title bid versus champ Jake Shields (20-4-1) in the form of a guillotine choke around the neck of intended Nick Diaz (15-7) opponent "The Korean Icepick" Jae Suk Lim (9-4) at 1:14 of the first round in San Jose Saturday night. Fickett was signed to challenge Shields on tonight's Showtime-televised card; but, Shields injured his back heaving a sledgehammer during training. Fickett drew Lim after Shields's partner, Diaz, was denied a license by the California State Athletic Board. The title fight has reportedly been rescheduled for 14 June in Hawaii. The absence of Shields and Diaz, popular Nor Cal warriors,  agitated thousands of hungry fight aficionados at HP Pavilion. They packed in to feast on a middleweight mixed martial arts title fight between Strikeforce champion Frank Shamrock (24-9-1) and Cung Le (6-0), heroes from opposite sides of the Capital of Silicon Valley. What they were fed was two-and-a-half rounds of brisk San Shou sparring and two-and-a-half minutes of MMA. Le remained undefeated when Shamrock quit with a broken arm after the third round, relinquishing his belt to the Vietnamese kung-fu stylist.  "He kept blocking," Le explained,  "so I kept aiming at that part of the wrist." With local street cred on the table, both fighters answered the opening bell cautious of the other's prowess. Shamrock circled in a crouching stance while pumping a lazy jab in Le's general direction, while Le waltzed warily from a safe range. When the hammer did fall, beginning with a Shamrock kick to Le's midsection countered by a Le left hand, it was in single-strike spurts followed by congratulatory high fives. They grinned at each one-off as the crowd chanted "Boring!" Shamrock closed round one with a knee busting Le's lip, but lost the round in range of Le's snapping kicks. Le opened the second frame knocking Shamrock's mouthpiece out with a left high kick. As Le learned Shamrock wasn't interested in taking him to the mat, he became more comfortable launching left and right middle kicks to setup punches to Shamrock's head, catching Shamrock with a right hook towards the round's final bell. Le topped Shamrock in round two as well. Midway through the third round, a fight broke out and the champion and challenger traded flurries against the cage. A hard left kick to Shamrock's core backed the champion into the fence and Le followed with a spinning back fist as Shamrock advanced. Shamrock walked through the worst of Le's attack and pounded punches in a flurry marked by a right fist that staggered Le against the cage. Le countered with another lightning strike body kick followed by a flurry of hooks as the bell signaled an end to the round and, as Shamrock chose not to answer the fourth round's bell, the end of the fight. "This is a dream come true," Le said after the fight.  "Coming from Vietnam under gunfire and now world champion, I love it." In undercard action, top ten lightweight "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-1) shook-up and opened the anticipated can of whoop ass on last minute opponent Gabe Lemley (11-7). Referee Herb Dean showed mercy on the seemingly awe-struck Iowan and called an end to Melendez's G'n'P onslaught at 2:18 of the second round. Melendez returned like a typhoon from a loss to "The Endless Warrior" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1) in Japan, the first of "El Niño's" career. Strikeforce newbie Wayne Cole (11-6) surprised "MAK" Mike Kyle (9-7-1) in an armbar 45-seconds after the opening bell. Kyle, win-less since 2005, was rusty from a two-year absence from professional competition. In a sloppy, but entertaining 4:45 minute punch-up, middleweight Joey Villasenor (25-6) of Jackson's Submission Fighting popped late replacement Ryan Jensen (11-4) with a right hand, knocking the former UFC fighter out in his third consecutive first-round stoppage loss (all against tough competition). Team Oyama welterweight Tiki Ghosn's (10-7) takedown defence kept his scrap with young Luke Stewart (5-1) where Ghosn could pick at Stewart's stand-up.  The veteran nickle-and-dimed his way to a unanimous decision of 29-28 twice and 30-27. Stewart picks up his first "L" after five stoppage wins, all in Strikeforce affairs. Team USA grappler Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) broke bantamweight Strikeforce regular Anthony Figueroa's (4-2) two-fight win streak by sweeping from half guard into a guillotine choke, enticing the tap at 1:27 of the first frame. Undefeated Jesse Jones (2-0) exposed Jesse Gillespie (1-1), transitioning in back control from a rear naked choke to G'n'P for a 35-second TKO. Lightweight Billy Evangelista (6-0) knocked out Marlon Sims (3-3) at :39 of the third round to end the night. ...

Lightweights Nick Diaz (15-7) and "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (13-1) fatten-up 29 March's Strikeforce feast featuring middleweight champ Frank Shamrock (23-8-1) versus Cung Le (5-0) in San Jose. Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight title from Iowan Gabe Lemley (11-6). Lemley brings six consecutive stoppages into the cage since returning to the sport in '07, after closing '05 with two submission losses and sitting out '06. Melendez, pulled from this weekend's DREAM.1 lightweight grand prix, returns from his first "L" versus Japanese wrestler "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (15-3-1), a unanimous decision. Diaz also wants to avenge a loss.  He dropped EliteXC's first 160-pound title tussle to "KJ" Karl James Noons (6-2) last November on cuts. "The Korean Icepick" Jae Suk Lim (9-3) will try to chip fresh wounds into Diaz's increasingly tender face. For Lim, it'll be his second North American scrap, having debuted on the continent for EliteXC with a rear naked choke submission of Daniel Pinedo (4-2) on the undercard of Diaz's title fight. ...