Josh Thomson, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion, was previously rumored to be facing current DREAM lightweight titleholder Shinya Aoki at last year’s year-end extravaganza dubbed “Dynamite!! 2010″. However Aoki ultimately fought in an exhibition bout with K-1 fighter “Jienotsu” Nagashima, losing by knockout in the second-round of their mixed rules match.

Thomson inevitably faced off against perennial top contender Tatsuya Kawajiri that night, losing a dominating decision to “The Crusher”. Now, both Aoki and Thomson could face off in a pivotal 155-pound match-up targeted for Japan.

MiddleEasy.com has included the rumored lightweight fight in their special “Sunday Rumor Mill” edition this past weekend, which could set up a potential rematch for either man with current Strikeforce lightweight titleholder Gilbert Melendez in the foreseeable future, should either man record an impressive victory in their next outing.

Thomson has tangled with “El Nino” twice before. Initially dominating Melendez who turned in an uninspired performance against “The Punk” some years ago. However the Cesar Gracie protege stormed back in December of 2009, dominating the American Kickboxing Academy star in a five-round war that charted several “Fight of the Year” lists.

Aoki is all too familiar with Melendez as well. In his lone appearance under the San Jose based promotion, as well as in the United States, the submission specialist was thwarted at every attempt to bring the fight to the ground against Melendez in their initial meeting in April of last year. Gilbert took home an easy decision win over the Japanese star, dominating every round on the judges score cards.

Both men bounced back from the loss to Melendez with consecutive wins in their respective organization’s before suffering their recent setbacks. So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the potential match-up? How do you see the fight going? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. A possible move up to 170 to take on someone like Paul Daley.

Melendez has expressed an interest in fighting at a higher weight class, specifically against Paul Daley, and I think this would be the natural thing to do if he keeps winning at Lightweight. Melendez has a lot of interesting possible challenges at Welterweight, not the least of which would be the actual jump in weight in and of itself, since Melendez has always been a smaller fighter. Whether it’s with or without the championship, a run at Welterweight is definitely an option for Melendez and would result in some tough, entertaining fights.

4. A fight with KJ Noons.

Even though he was unable to secure a second win over arch-rival Nick Diaz and claim the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in the process, KJ Noons is still a feared striker and a big threat to most Strikeforce fighters. Noons has had the most success in his MMA career at Lightweight, so he’ll probably drop back down to 155 after taking time off to heal the injuries he sustained in his second scrap with Diaz. And Melendez will be waiting for him. Melendez/Noons would be an awesome fight between a very tough grappler with a very tough chin and a very hard striker that is a former champion at Lightweight.

3. A second fight with Tatsuya Kawajiri.

In regards to Melendez’s immediate future, Tatsuya Kawajiri finds himself on the short-list of possible opponents that both the fans and Strikeforce management want to see Melendez test himself against. “Crusher” has won five of his last six and most recently beaten Josh Thomson at the K-1/DREAM supershow “DYNAMITE!! 2010”. Kawajiri is a tough knockout artist and, like KJ Noons, poses a big threat to Melendez on the feet. It’s also been over four years since these two last fought, so it has the potential to be a radically different second encounter.

2. A third fight with Josh Thomson.

Many fans seem to think that it’s inevitable that these two will meet for a third and final time to finally prove which one is better. I wholeheartedly agree. I think these two have a great rivalry going: both are highly competitive and highly skilled, but both respect each other a lot. It’s a rivalry born not out of scorn, but out of the honest desire to see which man is the better fighter. The two previous times these two fought each other were both Fight of the Year candidates, so a third (and most likely final) showdown would be a pivotal moment in both their careers.

And finally, we have…

1. A  champion vs. champion showdown with Bellator FC’s Eddie Alvarez.

There have been on-again, off-again talks of putting together a super-fight between Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez, the current Bellator FC Lightweight Champion. The reason this fight hasn’t happened yet is subject to much debate, and things actually got a bit bitter between Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. This fight seems to have faded back into the background at the start of 2011, but make no mistake, it would be an amazing fight between two of the best Lightweights on the planet.

And what about you, fans and friends? Did Melendez make the right call in sticking with Strikeforce? What do you think the future holds for “El Nino”?

Next for Josh Thomson: Thomson had a very up-and-down 2010, so look for him to try to kick off 2011 with authority and really make an effort to become a championship contender once again. Thomson went 2-1 in 2010, albeit one of those wins was over Gesias Cavalcante in a highly controversial bout that went to the judges. But if we’re playing that game, it can also be said that Thomson took his “DYNAMITE!!” fight on short notice. I think Thomson is going to have a great 2011, and it’ll begin with a rematch with Cavalcante.

Next for Gegard Mousasi: Mousasi shined in his K-1 bout at “DYNAMITE”, and he’s on a two-fight win-streak since famously losing his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship to Muhammed Lawal. I think the time is right for Mousasi to jump right back into the shark tank in Strikeforce. Mousasi’s potential is still sky-high, and if he pursues another shot at a title with the same fervor he’s been winning fights since losing the title, Mousasi may end up becoming the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion once again in 2011.

Next for Marius Zaromskis: The DREAM Welterweight Champion needs to stay in Japan for as long as he can, even for the entirety of 2011, in order to wipe away the disastrous run he had in American MMA. Now that Zaromskis is back in the winner’s circle and competing in the promotion that made him famous, he should stay in Japan and rebuild his credibility the same way he emerged as a champion in the first place: by taking on good competition and knocking them senseless. If Zaromskis gives me one year in Japan defending his belt, I think 2012 would be a banner year for him.

Next for Shinya Aoki: It’s going to be a rough 2011 for Shinya Aoki. He went 3-1 in MMA in 2010, but his one loss more than overshadowed his three wins. Plus, Aoki lost by KO at “DYNAMITE!!” in a strange kickboxing/MMA hybrid bout. So Aoki has been KO’d once again, and once again questions have surfaced regarding Aoki’s relevancy in the increasingly-crowded Lightweight rankings. Putting it plainly: as gifted as Aoki is on the ground, he’s still got a suspect chin and utterly atrocious stand-up. In the near future, he’ll plant his flag firmly in DREAM and go into 2011 trying to regain his credibility by quickly submitting opponents.

Next for Alistair Overeem: The sky is the limit for Alistair Overeem. Overeem’s stellar 2010 run was one of the best in the entirety of MMA or K-1, since he added an MMA championship, a K-1 championship, and defended his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship all in one year. People are finally getting clued in on what “The Reem” is all about, and I can’t wait for Overeem to come back to Strikeforce and dominate. As hard as it is to believe, Overeem says his 2011 will be an even bigger year than his 2010, and you know what? I think he’s right. Overeem will defend his championship against Strikeforce’s best in 2011, and in the process, we MMA fans will be treated to some of the best non-UFC fights that have ever happened since the fall of the legendary PRIDE FC promotion.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of “DYNAMITE!! 2010”?

The former K-1 Hero’s champion was last seen in action on the losing side of a controversial decision loss to Josh Thomson under the Strikeforce banner last October.

During the three round affair, “JZ” appeared to have walked away with a clear cut win following the bouts conclusion, having dropped Thomson early with a right hook, and in the final frame controlling all of the action on the ground. However, in the end Josh took him the decision win in his own backyard of San Jose, Cali.

Ironically enough, it’s Gesias who wishes to rematch the former Strikeforce lightweight champion in his hometown, and while he would have liked to get back in the cage as soon as January of next year, it looks like the Brazilian will have to settle for a February return. Thomson is no guarantee, but neither is February.

“They’ll make an edition of the event in January, but the card was already fulfilled, so the guys warned me I wouldn’t fight on the next edition of the event”, said JZ who spoke with TATAME.com about his return to action. “But they’re thinking about me fighting on their next edition, which I think probably will be on February, but they haven’t told me about any opponent, they gave me nothing. They only gave me the hope of fighting in February”.

And the aforementioned Thomson would be the ideal opponent for Gesias to face, however the American Top Team product will take on all comers, whomever it may be.

“The next guy I’d like to confront would be Josh Thomson just to make things clear (laughs)”, joked the Brazilian.

“I hate this doubt that people now have about that fight. I’d like to fight on his hometown, in San Jose, just like the previous meeting we’ve had for me to know the event better, its problems, even because a new event always brings you something new. A timing gap, the scheduling, and I had a problem with the Commission there and I didn’t have time to warm up and do my things, but I was prepared for it, and my mind was also prepared for it. I’d like to have this same opportunity again, at the same place, the same judges… I’d like that, even because I’d like to make it clear I went there to fight, that I’m capable of beating him, which I did last time, but they didn’t see it that way.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Gesias’ claims? Would you take the ATT man to claim a victory in the rematch, or will Thomson prevail once again? If not Thomson, who would you like to see Cavalcante face next? Sound off in the comment section below.

Now, on the cusp of another crack at the title he lost against rival Gilbert Melendez since going two-straight inside the Strikeforce cage, Thomson will risk it all on a whim when he faces perennial top-10 fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Though the fight is a big one in of itself, Kawajiri was not originally in the cards for Thomson, as Josh’s original opponent Shinya Aoki was pulled from the match for a more popular fight with K-1 kickboxer, Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima in a special-rules match up at this year’s Dynamite!! show.

“I was at a (Golden State) Warriors game and all of a sudden (Scott) Coker just texted me and he was like ‘hey, do you want to fight in Japan against Aoki?’ and I’m like, ‘no, not really, I haven’t been training, I’m not in shape, and it’s three weeks away.’ He’s like, ‘well, why don’t we try to figure something out.’ I guess Gil (Melendez) had pulled out of the fight with Aoki and so they really needed somebody to kind of keep their relationship strong with Dream and Strikeforce,” said Josh while speaking with MMAWeekly.com.

And while a fight with Aoki was a daunting task, Kawajiri was next up to bat for the American Kickboxing Academy product once the final preparations for DREAM’s: Dynamite!! 2010 show was finalized for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

“From Aoki to Kawajiri, that first week I was training for Aoki and then like Saturday night they called and were like, ‘we want Aoki to fight a four-round fight against a K-1 Max fighter, one round apiece.’ You know, one round kickboxing, one round MMA, one round kickboxing, and one round MMA. I guess the best way for them to do that was to eliminate me from the equation,” Thomson commented. “So basically it was put in the situation where he wanted to be on the show, then he had to fight that fight, and so they gave me Kawajiri”, said Thomson.

“Originally, I didn’t want the fight based on that he’s somebody I would have liked to prepared a lot longer for. I mean this is somebody with even an eight- or 10-week camp you can’t really be ready enough for him,” Thomson said. “This time it really came down to keeping the relationship between Strikeforce and Dream together, and making it work between Strikeforce fighters and the Dream fighters, and I felt like we can do the deal and get it done and now it’s fine.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Will a three-week training camp for the former champion be enough for “The Punk” to deal with “The Crusher”? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what Thomson had to say in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun: “They made it sound so great that a company went under. The simple fact of the matter was that the WEC failed and they put it with the UFC to carry it. To compare WEC lightweights to Strikeforce and the UFC is not fair because if they were that good, they would have been fighting for the UFC. I think the world of (Jamie) Varner, but I beat Hermes (Franca) and Hermes beat Varner. Varner was the WEC champ for awhile. So, where does that leave us?”

First and foremost, I absolutely do not believe that the WEC failed. Look at the events they put on in 2010, the quality of the matches and how consistently they were able to produce stellar shows, and just try to convince me that they failed. The WEC had a banner year in 2010, one that few promotions have ever had, in fact. In 2010, or even in the last several years, has any other MMA promotion consistently given us as many great fights on a per-event basis as the WEC gave us this year? Thomson is fooling himself is he thinks the WEC needed the UFC to save it.

What happened is that the WEC started producing so many quality fights and fighters that the UFC had no choice but to stand up and take notice. The UFC sees the drawing potential of stars like Jose Aldo, Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Urijah Faber, and countless others, and they want in on the act. Even if it means less free and awesome MMA on TV, the UFC wants to start turning the WEC’s best into real Pay-Per-View draws. They see the potential, and they want that money. If the UFC didn’t believe that the WEC’s top stars could be major PPV draws if marketed correctly, I highly doubt this merger would have ever seen the light of day.

And finally, I’d just like to say that Thomson is appealing to the lowest common denominator when he tries to use “MMA Math” to justify his opinion. As I’ve said countless times before, MMA is a sport where a fighter can revitalize and even reconstruct himself on a per-fight basis. Past failures or successes can give you an estimate of future accomplishments, but you just can’t definitively say that if Fighter X beat Fighter Y and Fighter Z lost to Fighter Y, then Fighter X beats Fighter Z every time.  By that logic Josh Thomson never should have beaten Gilbert Melendez, since Melendez beat Clay Guida while Thomson lost to him.

Ultimately Thomson is doing little else than sticking up for his brand despite the fact that almost all of the best Lightweight talent in the world is in the UFC, and the UFC is about to get even more great Lightweight talent when the WEC merger begins. I mean absolutely no disrespect towards Josh Thomson or the Lightweight division of Strikeforce, but this is quite clearly a case of sour grapes. Putting it plainly, Josh Thomson needs to get over himself.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Do you agree or disagree with Thomson, and why?

Once recognized as a top-3 lightweight in the world, the American Top Team product has fallen on hard times as of late, losing 3 of his last 4 bouts to division notables Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and most recently Josh Thomson (respectively).

In the bout with Thomson, a former strikeforce lightweight champion, it was the general feeling that after the three rounds of action between the two competitors that Gesias was the clear winner on the score cards, having dominated the final round by keeping “The Punk” on his back all throughout the round and dropping him in the first frame followed by a long and tight guillotine choke. In the end, the San Jose based fighter who fought before a hometown crowd was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

“I’ve heard from Strikeforce that he’ll probably be fighting in January or February,” said manager Alex Davis while speaking with MMAWeekly.com concerning his client.

“They didn’t have enough space on the December card.”

A rematch between Cavalcante and Thomson has been the talk of the town in the last couple of weeks, and should it happen, would provide the promotion an adequate amount of time to set up a new fight for current champion Gilbert Melendez, who has expressed disinterest in fighting Thomson for a third time, especially considering the fact that “El Nino” was among the majority that believed Cavalcante was robbed of a victory.

“JZ wants a rematch,” said Davis. “I don’t think AKA or Josh Thomson would want to give him an immediate rematch cause they want (Gilbert) Melendez, so JZ is just going to have to go and beat somebody else up and get another chance at him. It will happen, he’ll get it.”

So, MMA peeps, who do you think JZ’s next match up will be against? Who would you like to see him in there with? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here are the highlights from an interview over at MMAWeekly: “After the fight everybody kept saying the same thing: I won the fight. I won the first round and the third round, and that’s how I felt also… I think I won the first round… I think I was closer to finishing him than he was to finishing me… I think I did more all during the fight, and I’m glad that all the fans and people keep saying I won the fight…. Most of the people right there, they don’t know me… I think those kind of things influenced the judges to see the fight in his favor… If I have the chance and the fans want to watch the fight again, I would love to do it, to have no doubts about it, about who won the fight.”

I think Cavalcante makes a far better case for a rematch than a lot of other fighters these days, and with how awesome I felt the first fight was, I’d love to see a second encounter. Both men are top athletes and I think that Cavalcante proved that he can hang with the best in Strikeforce, so even if he doesn’t get this rematch I think “JZ” will be constantly “in the mix” as he moves forward with Strikeforce. This rematch is a no-brainer and definitely needs to happen sooner rather than later. A lot of fans really do believe that Cavalcante was robbed.

I, however, am not one of them. I think it was utterly atrocious for one judge to call the fight 30-27 in favor of Thomson, I won’t dispute that. It was a horrendous call. But unlike Cavalcante, I think Thomson did indeed do enough to steal the first round. He may have been in a lot of danger, but he rallied back and put Cavalcante in just as much danger to close out the round. I said this to a close friend as we were watching the fight, and I think this applies just as much now as it did back then, and that it will continue to apply for the foreseeable future: it’s incredibly important to finish a round in the dominant position.

Let’s be honest here: American MMA judges are, for the most part, incredibly short-sighted. If a round is close, the judges usually give it to the fighter that ended the round in a big way. If a fighter is in a close fight but at a clear disadvantage when the bell rings, they’re far more likely to lose the round and even the entire fight. There are definitely cases of “too little too late”, where a fighter will be dominated for most of the round but rally back in the last several seconds. In cases like those, finishing dramatically just isn’t good enough to overshadow the beatdown the fighter received before attempting to make a comeback. However, the first round of Thomson/Cavalcante was just not that kind of occasion.

Cavalcante scored a big knockdown and a near-submission, but Thomson rebounded, got a lot of damage in, and Cavalcante nearly got submitted as well. I think there’s enough room for debate to warrant a rematch, but I also don’t regret picking Thomson to win and I stand by my opinion that he did win this fight. I want a rematch because I know it will be great, but Chapter 1 in this rivalry goes to Josh Thomson.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think Thomson won the fight, or Cavalcante? And how interested are you in seeing a rematch between these two?

Though a strong showing, nonetheless, the American Top Team product was bested by former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, though the bout wasn’t without controversy.

After a strong first round, where both fighters had their moments, it looked like “JZ” had picked up the momentum as he was able to knockdown the San Jose fighter with a thunderous right hook, following up with a tight guillotine choke, though there wasn’t anything behind the submission hold. After a second round taken by Thomson, the Brazilian came back in the third, mounting Josh, working in ground-and-pound before closing out the round, which had “The Punk” on his back for the entire round. In the end though, Josh was declared the winner.

While “JZ” might by irked by the loss nonetheless, he will still be able to find some solace in knowing there will not be any financial issues in part with Strikeforce, though he can’t say the same for the Japanese based organization, DREAM.

Before his Strikeforce bout with Thomson, Cavalcante had recently returned to winning ways after coming on the heels of a two-fight losing streak against notables Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri, respectively, with a victory over the heralded DEEP lightweight champion, Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM 15.

On July 10 of this year, Gesias was able to defeat the karate styled fighter by way of unanimous decision, negating the Japanese stars famed striking by working effective ground tactics, earning the nod by the judges. But, dont expect to see “JZ” in the ring in anytime soon following the win in Japan, since he has still not been paid by the promotion from a bout that took place 3 months ago.

“(Expletive) DREAM, man,” said Gesias in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. “I’m not going to say I’m done, but I need to get paid. I need people to show the respect (I) need.

Add one to the list. Bibiano Fernandes (the DREAM featherweight champion, who was only just paid a few weeks ago for his title defense against Joachim Hansen at DREAM 13 in March of this year), Ronaldo Souza (who has yet to be paid for his last bout, at DREAM 9 opposite of Miller in May of 2009), and Ralek Gracie (DREAM 14, Kazushi Sakuraba, May 2010).

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of this whole mess? Sound off in the comment section below.

In an attempt to vie for the welterweight title against rival and current Strikeforce 170-pound champion Nick Diaz, which saw the two fighters go at it in a five-round stand up affair, KJ left the more battered and bruised of the two to competitors.

Reportedly, after the event, Noons stated during the post-fight press conference that he had already received an x-ray and believed that he had a broken jaw, which was sustained in the very first round of the fight, and a broken hand, which was evident in the second round.

Well, according to MMAJunkie.com, which received the information of the medical suspensions following the event from the California State Athletic Commission, he wasn’t kidding.

Noons now faces a 180-day suspension due to fractures in both his left-thumb and left-mandible jaw, which can be thanked to Diaz. Usually fighting lefty, Nick consciously changed stances all throughout the fight, confusing the boxer, and was widely dominant in the orthodox position, where he did the most damage, dropping the former Elite XC 160-pound champion in the very first round.

Josh Thomson, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion, was able to best DREAM lightweight fighter “JZ” Cavalcante in a three round affair, where he was eventually able to secure a hard fought unanimous decision victory. However, he was left with several injuries following the bouts conclusion, including a possible fracture in his right-hand and a left-knee injury. Should the suspension run its course, Josh will be out for 180 days, though he can be cleared earlier by a physician.

Here are the rest of the injuries reported by MMAJunkie via the CSAC.

-Nick Diaz: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 60 days due to multiple facial lacerations
-Andre Galvao: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons
-David Marshall: Suspended for 60 days with no contact for 60 days due to facial lacerations, though he can be cleared early by a physician
-Luis Mendoza: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the suspensions? Any surprises? Sound off in the comment section below.

October 9 saw welterweight champion Nick Diaz successfully defend his title for the first time against rival KJ Noons, earning a bit of revenge in the process. The two fighters met 3 years ago under the now defunct Elite XC banner, where Noons was declared the winner after cutting Nick with several telling blows, which eventually lead to a Doctors stoppage after the end of the first round. However, the second time around, Diaz was able to outbox the professional boxer, en route to a unanimous decision victory after a hard-fought five round affair.

Josh Thomson, a San Jose native, had the crowd on his side at the HP Pavillion Saturday night, when he was able to defeat two-time K-1 Hero’s champion “JZ” Cavalcante by way of unanimous decision. The bout was to set up an immediate number one contender for the lightweight strap, which is safely secured by top-3 lightweight fighter and Strikeforce champion, Gilbert Melendez. While Thomson earned the victory, it wasn’t without some controversy, with some feeling that the American Top Team product in “JZ” rightfully earned the victory, though the bout was close and competitive all throughout.

For their efforts, Diaz and Thomson both earned the largest payrolls of the 14 competitors who competed (as far as professional fighters go). The following is the payroll as reported by MMAJunkie.com, through the California State Athletic Commission.

Nick Diaz: $50,000
def. K.J. Noons: $10,000

Josh Thomson: $50,000
def. Gesias Cavalcante: $40,000

Marloes Coenen: $3,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)
def. Sarah Kaufman: $20,000

Tyron Woodley: $15,000 ($7,500 win bonus)
def. Andre Galvao: $10,000

James Terry: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
David Marshall: $1,500

Josh McDonald: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Ron Keslar: $1,500

Jess Bouscal: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Luis Mendoza: $1,500

So, MMA peeps, anyone surprised by the numbers? Mainly, how the hell did Marloes earn a whopping three thousand dollars? Hopefully there are some kind of contract provisions where she earns her money in the back end… though I’m no lawyer, so I have no bearing on what sort of legal litigation lies there’s, but hopefully it is something a little more substantial than three thousand dollars, especially considering now, that she is the champion. Sound off in the comment section below.

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.

The first frame saw Cavalcante stalking Thomson down, who appeared the smaller fighter of the two. Then, in a wild exchange, “JZ” landed a strong right hook, stunning Thomson to his knees before latching on and falling back for a tight, arm-in guillotine choke. Keeping his composure, Josh stayed in for what seemed like an eternity. In the waning moments of the round, Josh was able to escape the choke, and lock on an arm triangle choke, which allowed him to maneuver to mount, then to side control to tighten the squeeze. It looked tight, but the round ends, and while Josh was gaining moment in the end, it looked like the Florida native took the round.

In the second, saw Thomson a little bit more aggressive, as he was able to carry over the momentum from the end of the first. After reversing jockeying positions against the cage, Thomson finally earns a trip take down. Josh tries to go for the arm triangle again, but doesn’t have it. Stuck in half guard, Josh tries to free his leg, but in the last moments of the round, Josh instead opts to pound away on his opponent and seemingly takes the round.

The third round was all “JZ”. After a botched take down attempt by Thomson, the Brazilian was able to reverse positions, and eventually wound up in mount. Thomson was able to work his way back to full guard, but “JZ” kept the pressure on Josh, and the AKA lightweight was unable to get out from underneath Cavalcante, who in the last seconds of the fight unleashed his devastating ground and pound, clinching the round in his favor and essentially the fight, 29-28 after three rounds of action.

AOL’s MMAFighting.com, Sherdog.com, MMAJunkie.com, and MMAWeekly.com all scored the fight the same, 29-28 across the board for Cavalcante, who had returned to the United States after four years spent in Japan.

As the bout concluded, it looked as though Gesias had finally recorded his first victory under the Strikeforce banner, becoming the first DREAM fighter (since Gegard Mousasi) to successfully transition here to the United States and claim a victory. However, Josh Thomson was declared the winner, with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and shockingly enough, 30-27. The bout was to determine a number one contender to Gilbert Melendez’ lightweight crown in Strikeforce. Thomson and Melendez have met twice before, splitting victories with “El Nino” picking up a victory in their last outing in December of 2009, in what was a 5-round brawl.

So, MMA peeps, for those who watched last nights great Strikeforce card, do you all share the same sentiments as the rest of the MMA community, or was the fight closer do you think? Does a knockdown and submission stack up better against full mount and a locked in arm-triangle choke? Sound off in the comment section below.

Next for Tyron Woodley: Another opening-match fight on a semi-major Strikeforce show. Woodley showed off just how much potential he really has in his outright domination of Andre Galvao, he’s earned the right to stay off of the lower-end “Challengers” series of shows for the foreseeable future. If Woodley continues to put on performances like this, I can even see him challenging for the title before 2011 is over and done with. Despite the fact that I think the referee stoppage in this fight was premature, Woodley put on a great performance.

Next for Marloes Coenen: The new Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-pound) Champion has two big hurdles in her immediate future. One is her weight- Coenen is a massive female. Leading up to this fight, many fans and insiders doubted that she would be able to drop down to 135, and I think people will continue to doubt her until she consistently finds a way to make weight. The other, more obvious problem is Meisha Tate. Tate should provide a very worthy challenge to the new champion, but if Coenen can beat her, I honestly think no one poses an immediate threat to the newly-minted, freshly-validated champion who proved me so wrong with her fantastic performance last night.

Next for Sarah Kaufman: Back to “Strikeforce Challengers”, much to her chagrin. Kaufman has been very vocal in the past about wanting to compete on a main card, then she gets her wish and puts on what I consider a terrible performance. All the stalling in that fight was her fault, when she realized that she had no solution to Coenen’s reach and grappling prowess Kaufman simply tried to hold her against the cage to score points. Kaufman did show some life several times during the fight, but ultimately she disappointed. Respect in the fight game is earned, not given, and Kaufman is going to have to work her way back up from the bottom.

Next for Josh Thomson: Gilbert Melendez, of course. Both men can joke about how they’re tired of fighting each other because they always end up beating one another senseless, but in the end these two incredibly talented men put on some of the best fights of the year whenever they’re in a cage together. Thomson deserves a rematch, the fans deserve a rematch, and the final chapter of the Thomson/Melendez saga is good enough to headline its own Showtime card. With Strikeforce’s increasingly-uncertain future with the CBS network looking bleaker by the day, Strikeforce needs all the big main events they can muster. And this is most definitely one of them.

Next for Nick Diaz: A good, long reign as the undisputed top welterweight in the company as well as one of the best welterweights currently fighting. I had Diaz winning four rounds to one even though it was a very close and competitive fight, so I think the sky really is the limit for the brash-mouthed bad-boy. He’s got his strategy down to a sweet science, so look for Diaz to add some massive wins to his record before 2011 is through.

Next for KJ Noons: If he stays active (likely) and keeps winning (very likely), I think a third fight with Diaz will happen near the tail-end of 2011. Let’s be honest here: many of Strikeforce’s weight divisions are still in the “growing” stage and lack a lot of recognizable talent. KJ Noons is the total package: he’s got the heart of a champion, the looks of a model, and the fists of a pro boxer (which he’s moonlighted as). No matter what the future holds or who his next few opponents will be, he’ll continue to be a feature attraction. I’ll pick Diaz to win the trilogy, but I don’t think anyone in Strikeforce’s welterweight division will be beating Noons anytime soon except for Diaz.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for the winners and losers of Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Noons 2”?

Nick Diaz defeats KJ Noons by Unanimous Decision to retain the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Josh Thomson defeats Gesias Cavalcante by Unanimous Decision. Marloes Coenen defeats Sarah Kaufman by submission due to an Armbar and becomes the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion at 1:59 of round 3. Tyron Woodley defeats Andre Galvao by TKO due to strikes at 1:48 of round 1. James Terry defeats David Marshall by Unanimous Decision. Josh McDonald defeats Ron Keslar by Unanimous Decision. Jess Bouscal defeats Luis Mendoza by submission due to an Arm Triangle Choke at 2:00 of Round 2.

I think the night started off with a bang, but for all the wrong reasons. Tyron Woodley looked fantastic against Andre Galvao, but the stoppage in this fight was ridiculously early. Galvao seemed to have plenty of fight left in him despite the fact that he was a bit wobbly. I mean no disrespect towards Woodley though, I was highly impressed with how he was able to so nonchalantly disregard the takedown attempts of such a highly decorated grappler. Woodley is definitely ready for the main stage, and I look forward to seeing where this win takes him.

Well, I certainly have to eat another helping of humble pie don’t I? Marloes Coenen showed up on fire and pretty much dominated Sarah Kaufman before tapping her out. If the Coenen at 135 fights keeps fighting like the one that just beat Sarah Kaufman, we may be looking at a decently-long reign. Coenen has a huge height/reach advantage over most of her competition, and she seems to be well-versed in all the major areas of the MMA game. While I still think that Strikeforce is setting a very dumb precedent by continuously awarding championship opportunities to fighters coming off of a loss, I will unabashedly say that Coenen proved me dead wrong.

If it weren’t for the main event, Thomson vs. Cavalcante would easily have been Fight of the Night. I loved how competitive this fight was, and I really enjoyed how both men seemed to be within a hair’s-breadth of finishing the fight via submission. My only problem with this fight is that one judge gave all three rounds to Thomson: that call was so laughable and downright inane that Thomson himself said he didn’t agree with it!

But everything led up to the main event, and my oh my what a fight it was. Both men swung with reckless abandon for twenty-five full minutes, and I’ll freely admit to being quite caught up in all the action and emotion. A couple of years ago I would have been convinced that I had somehow entered Bizarro World if I had ever uttered the following, but here it is: with his spirited and heartfelt performance against KJ Noons, I now consider myself a Nick Diaz fan. This mini-revelation may be lost on a lot of people, but at least to me, this is a pretty big occasion. I think Nick Diaz has solidified himself as one of the best welterweights actively competing, and I can’t wait to outright cheer him on in his next fight.

In the end, this wasn’t the best event of all time but it was by far not the worst. When you take into account how hit-or-miss any major-name MMA show can be nowadays, this was a very solid card from top to bottom. And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of the event, its fighters, and their fights?

Everyone, with the exception of Justin Willis (271–heavyweight match; 265 limit with an added one pound allowance) and Jonathon Del Rosario (156.5–lightweight match; 155 limit with an added one pound allowance), were registered within their weight classes, and were fit to fight come Saturday Night.

However, in two title fights adorning the card, being the headliner Nick Diaz, who will attempt to defend his title for the first time against the last man to defeat him nearly 3 years ago in KJ Noons, a bout between to lightweights, with no title on the line, is taking precedence over the women’s welterweight title fight between Marloes Coenen and champ Sarah Kaufman…why?

I could just be shooting the dark here, but it’s not unlike Strikeforce to do this, as they have done it before, however, it appears that a bout pitting the U.S. return of JZ Cavalcante against former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson is taking precedence over said title fight between Coenen and Kaufman.

At the weigh-in ceremonies, Thomson and JZ appeared on the scales after Coenen and Kaufman stepped off, and just before Diaz and Noons, indicating that the two competitors will now serve as the co-main event of the evening. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I’ve been to enough Strikeforce shows to know that their format never difers, and if that is the case, than how is Strikeforce treating their champions?

Not only is Kaufman attempting to defend her belt on the big show after graduating from the Challenger series with the knockout victory over Roxanne Modafferi, which pitting her on a card with up-and-coming hopefuls is disrespectful in of itself, but matching her up with a woman who’s coming off of a loss, and then bumping to “regular” card status…first, let me start by saying I am most likely completely over reacting, and arguing the point to myself doesn’t make the least bit of sense.

But, MMA peeps, what do you think? Do you share the same sentiments that myself and fellow writer Oliver Saenz share? Sound off in the comments section below.

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, who has been on the mend since a loss to current champion and friend Gilbert Melendez, returned in top form against Pat Healy in Strikeforce: Fedor vs Werdum, last June.

After the competitors exchanged rounds one and two, Thomson was able to put away the tough-as-nails Healy with a third round rear naked choke, marking his first win since the loss to Melendez.

Thomson is expected to face one of the very best fighter’s that Japan has to offer–and he’s Brazilian.

The Brazilian in question, Mr. “JZ” Calvalcante is a former K-1 middleweight champion, and has consistently competed against some of the world’s best competition over the years. After riding a two-fight losing streak to division standouts Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri, respectively, the American Top Team fighter (who UFC veteran Wilson Gouveia describes as a “Ninja”) came back strong with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Katsunori Kikuno, the DEEP lightweight champion–who was coming off of a knockout victory over former UFC competitor Kuniyoshi Hironaka before meeting with Gesias.

Gesias has been a long time staple in the Japanese MMA scene since his K-1 days and wants to improve his stock should he be able to defeat Thomson.

“The Punk”, an American Kickboxing Academy product is looking build off his win over Healy, and erase the memory of his to Melendez. After dominating the Cesar Gracie protege in their first going in 2008, Melendez was able to return the favor and shut out the former UFC contender after knocking him down in several rounds during their 5-round affair.

Now, both Thomson and Cavalcante will look to improve to a two-fight win streak with a win over one another, and move closer to a shot at the Strikeforce lightweight title–and for Thomson either make a trilogy with Melendez, or for “JZ” earn him possibly also top contenders’ status with the DREAM promotion once again.

The bout is taking place on October 9th, at “Strikeforce: Diaz versus Noons II”, at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California.

So, MMA fans, what do you think of the match up? Should the winner come out of the bout as the number one contender for the lightweight title in Strikeforce? Or in DREAM possibly? Let your opinions be known in the comments section below.

In an interview with SB Nation, Gray Maynard said the following: “Who is stopping them? Name a name and I’ll bow down, but who is stopping these guys? That’s why I can’t pay attention to these people. If you’re a true sports fan who enjoys MMA and really try to understand it, you’ll get it. Look at Edgar. He’s only ever lost to myself. Huerta has never been stopped. Pretty much the same thing with Nate Diaz. Florian did get stopped by Penn, but you see what I mean. It’s an excuse, but that’s just how it is. I’m asking for the top guys. The decisions are just part of it.”

I agree with Maynard in theory, but not in practice. I think getting a decision win should absolutely not be held against you. You did your job, you won your fight, you deserve your acclaim. How backwards does it sound that fighters who tough it out and fight hard all three rounds are getting ostracized like they had a Scarlet Letter? Fighters should be praised for having the cardio, mental fortitude, toughness, and heart to go the distance, and those that do so and still dominate their opponents deserve even more praise. That’s the theory.

In practice, though…people want to see fights finished! You simply can’t ignore what the mainstream wants, and the mainstream wants to see awesome KO’s or slick submissions. We’ll even settle for a wild brawl or an active ground game. But these no-stoppage shut-outs are unappealing to fans who crave action in their sports. You can call it backwards thinking all you like, but the mainstream MMA fan holds true to one core belief: “intricacies be damned, we’re here for a fun show”. There will always be fans, especially MMA fans, that go in just for the blood, guts, and glory. You can hold your head high with the knowledge that true fans appreciate what you do and respect your ability to do it, but at the end of the day, exciting fighters sell Pay-Per-Views.

Perhaps this wouldn’t even be such a big issue if Maynard was correct in his belief that most Lightweights don’t finish their fights. But that’s the thing: they do! There are a lot of Lightweight fighters (and fighters that had runs at Lightweight) known for their stoppage victories: Kenny Florian, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Shinya Aoki, Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Ben Henderson, Josh Thomson, KJ Noons, Anthony Pettis…just to name a few! They may not dominate the division, but they’re out there.

I’ll make one thing clear before I go: I don’t have a problem with Gray Maynard. I think he’s a fantastic athlete, and I think his rematch with Edgar will be far more entertaining than what any of the doomsayers are predicting it to be. I just don’t like that Maynard answered the question of why he doesn’t finish anybody with another question, which was “Does anybody finish anybody at Lightweight?” Because the simple answer is: yes. Yes they do. And if you really want people to stop calling you boring, why not try and finish a fight every once in a while? It couldn’t hurt.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How important is it to you that fighters finish fights, and are you excited for Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2?

While most would indicate that Edwards is either past his prime, or not caught up with the present botch of talent that exists in the lightweight ranks nowadays, Edwards is exciting and an old-school commodity.

Winner of his last 4 out of 5 fights, Edwards returns to the UFC to face IFL veteran John Gunderson, after John’s original opponent, season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Efrain Escudero was pulled from the match in order to face Wiman, who was originally to face fellow TUF veteran Mac Danzig in a rematch, in the co-main event of the evening on Sept. 15, for UFC Fight Night 22.

Wiman, as previously reported, had pulled out from his bout with Escudero after breaking his arm in practice.

Many people may remember Edwards from his early UFC days, especially his highlight reel knockout over former UFC contender and former Strikeforce lightweight champion, Josh Thomson, back in 2004 at UFC 49.

And while the years’ after haven’t been the nicest to Edwards, who is 3-3 in his last 6 outings, his experienced is virtually unmatched, and he should prove to be a formidable opponent for anyone he faces.

In his last bout, Edwards defeated Luis Palomino at Bellator 24, the same man who bested division standout Jorge Masvidal by split decision not too long ago.

So, do you think Edwards has what it takes to defeat Gunderson, let alone, make a run in the UFC’s 155-pound division, or are his best days behind him?

Shinya Aoki is a fighter many have wanted to see come to the states and fight for years now. He has been the talk of the town in Japan and finishes people seemingly at will with his super slick submissions. This fight is one that allow him to test the waters in the U.S. and see if those submissions will work against an amazing wrestler.

Aoki was last seen in a fight against Mizuto Hirota (10-3) in which he broke the arm of Hirota using a hammerlock. His list of fighters that he has beaten is impressive however he has a glaring weakness that could be exploited stateside.

Aoki is known for his jiu jitsu and it is very high level. However his striking leaves a lot to be desired and I wonder if his chin will be able to hold up if he continues with his quest to fight the best America has to offer.

Fifth-ranked lightweight “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-8) exploited that chin when they fought in the Dream 5 lightweight grand prix final in 2008. Granted Aoki did end up avenging that loss and won via armbar at the Dream 11 featherweight grand prix but none the less, Hellboy put him out could with strikes.

I have to wonder how well his submissions will work without the pants he typically wears even though Eddie Bravo believes they do not offer a big advantage in the submission game. As the fight wears on and Melendez gets sweaty I would think that the subs will be much harder to come by without the traction he gains from the pants.

He will also be here in  the states where the crowd is much different. Japan may have some of the most knowledgeable mixed martial arts (MMA) fans in the world but they are very quiet compared to the raucous crowds that attend events here in the states. I know he is an experienced fighter but will be quite the culture shock and could throw him off his game.

Gilbert is an interesting fight for Aoki when you look at his skill set. Melendez has a solid wrestling base that shows both good take-downs and take-down defense. We won’t see Aoki try and take him down unless it comes via him jumping guard but if he does I believe Gilbert will have the ability to get back up to his feet.

Standing is where Melendez will want to keep this fight as he is the much better striker. The improvement from Melendez since his losses to Mitsuhiro Ishida (19-5) and “The Punk” Josh Thomson (15-3-1) have been significant. After the Ishida he seemed to work more on his wrestling and his transitions. After the loss to Josh he worked his striking, specifically his counter-strikes and his ability to move in and out.

The work paid off as he has now avenged both of though losses en route to winning the Strikeforce lightweight title he puts on the line against Aoki.

Anyone looking at this fight has to believe that Gilbert will look to keep this fight standing and beat Aoki from the outside. Popping the jab, using good head movement and getting in and out with his punches.

This is a fight that will tell us just how good these two both are inside the cage. Gilbert is a fighter that has been discussed as being a top ten lightweight but given he is in Strikeforce and not fighting the best in the world it is hard to compare him. Aoki is a consensus top five who until this point has not faced a battle tested American fighter. One of these men will walk out of the cage crushed as MMA fans spout how they knew he was over-rated while the other fighter will walk out, head held high and instantly be talked about in the same breath as top-ranked UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1)

“I just wanted to perform better than I did the last time,” said Melendez said after the victory.

Melendez was on the other end of a UD in San Jose in June 2008 when Thomson took the title from Melendez.

Melendez added, “Josh hands down is the toughest guy I’ve ever fought, the toughest match-up for me, maybe the toughest match I’ll ever have. It feels great right now though.”

Thomson admitted, “I just wanted to make sure this is 100% clear that the reason why Gilbert beat me tonight is he was the better fighter tonight, he was the bigger man.”

Huerta fulfilled his contract with the UFC with split decision loss to Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked lightweight “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City in September and has entered a one-year matching period during which the UFC has the right to match any offer made to Huerta by competing promotions.

Before losing to Maynard, Huerta had claimed he would retire from fighting to pursue an acting career.  Howver, after the loss, he indicated he had reconsidered and told Sherdog he would like to return to MMA in February or March.

Huerta’s manager, Jeff Clark of NCFC Management, told Sherdog, “We’ve had a lot of interest from different parties.”

Huerta expressed specific interest in fighting second-ranked “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4), Strikeforce champ “Punk” Josh Thomson (15-2-1), and interim Strikeforce champ “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (16-2).

Ishida took Gil’ the distance for a UD at Yarennoka in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve 2007.

Two fights later, Melendez lost the Strikeforce gold to Thomson in a five-round UD in San Jose in June 2008.

Melendez comes into the rematch after leaving Rodrigo Damm (6-3) unconcious in the second round at Strikeforce in San Jose last April.

Ishida is licking his wounds after a TKO by Mizuto Hirota (9-3) at Shooto in Tokyo 10 May.

Thomson was unable to clear medicals due to an injured leg and had to pull from the title defense.

Two title fights, between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2-1) and Yves Edwards (34-14-1) and between Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-4) and “Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8), will headline the event.

Also featured is a welterweight bout between “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-10) and Luke Stewart (4-1).

The rest of the card includes:

Lemont Davis (1-2) versus Brian Schwartz (0-1) at 175 lbs
Brad Royster (1-1) versus Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) at 135 lbs
Tony Johnson (0-1) versus Eric Lawson (2-2) at 185 lbs
Alvin Cacdac (3-4) versus Jose Palacios (1-1) at  145 lbs
Bobby Stack (2-1) versus Cyrillo Padilha (1-1) at 155 lbs
Zakary Bucia (0-1) versus Jaime Rodriguez (0-0) at 155 lbs
Kurt Osiander (2-0) versus Raul Castillo (2-0) at 185 lbs
Nik Theotikos (5-0) versus Luke Rockhold (2-1) at 185 lbs

Edwards knocked out Thomson in the first round at UFC 49 in Las Vegas in August 2004.

“This rematch is about winning back something that I let slip through my fingers last  time,” Thomson explained.  “It was a  fluke, but that’s part of the fight game – anyone can get caught.  I blame my error last time on my cockiness.  This time, I’ve got to stamp my mark on it.”

Thomson had been seeking a big name lightweight for his first title defense and Fighters.com first reported 10 October that “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-11-4) and Chris Horodecki (12-1) were being sought by Strikeforce.

Horodecki officially removed himself from contention nine days later when he signed to fight Dan Lauzon (10-2) at Affliction’s yet to be scheduled second event.

Horodecki said, “I’d like to fight Thomson, but now I’m thinking about November and Affliction.”

But, revenge has also been on Thomson’s mind.

After defeating “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) in San Jose 27 June for the title, Thomson expressed his disappointment that Edwards had lost to then EliteXC Lightweight Champion “King Karl” Karl James Noons (7-2) because Thomson wanted to avenge his loss and the opportunity to pick up a second belt.

But, Thomson will have to settle just for an opportunity to avenge his previous loss.  A win over Edwards won’t bolster his case to be ranked in the lightweight top ten.

Edwards was knocked out by Noons in 48 seconds.

Edwards remarked, “Both Josh and I have improved.  He’s always been comfortable in the cage, but his stand-up looks a lot better and he  looks like he puts things together a lot better than he used to.  He also looks even harder to take down  than
before.”

Thomson TKO’d “Archer” Ashe Bowman (9-5) in Beverly Hills, north of Los Angeles, 20 September in a non-title fight.

Horodecki’s management team confirmed the lightweight bout with Lauzon, who was his original opponent for Day of Reckoning on 11 October before the event was postponed.

Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz confirmed that Horodecki will not be on the Destruction card on 21 November.

Horodecki said, “I’d like to fight Thomson, but now I’m thinking about November and Affliction.”

Horodecki is also considering a November fight in Japan’s Shoot Boxing organization.

According to Fighters.com’s source, Strikeforce has narrowed their list of opponents to up-and-coming Chris Horodecki (12-1) and veteran “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-11-4).

Twenty-one-year old Horodecki won a UD over Nate Lamotte (6-3) in East Rutherford, west of New York City, 4 April, then signed with Affliction and agreed to fight on Affliction’s 11 October event before it was rescheduled.

A veteran of Shooto, UFC, K-1 Hero’s, and DREAM, Uno lost a UD to Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (18-3) in the semi-finals of DREAM’s Lightweight Grand Prix in Osaka 21 July.

North American fans may be more familiar with Horodecki because of his nine-fight stint in the now-defunct International Fight League.  His only loss was by TKO in a rematch versus “Lion” Ryan Schultz (20-11-1) for the IFL lightweight title.

Uno fought seven times in the UFC between 2001 and 2003 going 3-3-1.  The last time Uno was stopped was in September 2005, before Horodecki even began his professional MMA career.

The two fighters present different challenges to Thomson, but both would be significant challenges.

Thomson TKO’d “Archer” Ashe Bowman (9-5) in Beverly Hills, north of Los Angeles, 20 September in a non-title fight.  He has been campaigning for a big-name fight since beating “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) in San Jose 27 June for the Strikeforce belt.

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (16-2) will also defend his title versus an opponent yet to be named.

Before his last “W” over “Archer” Ashe Bowman (9-5) in Beverly Hills, north of Los Angeles, 20 September, Thomson expressed interest in fighting “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1).  After the fight, Thomson also hoped to defend his title from Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked lightweight and DREAM champ “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (19-7-1).

After knocking off former Strikeforce champ “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) in San Jose 27 June, Thomson has been desperate for an opponent who’d help him crack the top ten.

Southworth versus “Babalu” was originally scheduled for the 20 September card at the Playboy Mansion, but both fighters pulled up lame and spent the night chasing bunnies into the grotto (I assume).

Southworth defended his title from “El Toro” Anthony Ruiz (21-12) by UD in San Jose 27 June, then asked Strikeforce for the match-up versus Sobral.

Sobral won a UD over Mike Whitehead (22-6) in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July.

Also on the card, “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-11) will return to welterweight to fight Luke Stewart (6-1).

In a brief return to middleweight, Riggs was TKO’d by ninth-ranked Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2) in Beverly Hills, while Stewart tapped Jesse Juarez (6-5) in an armbar on the undercard.

Fighters.com: You took care of Schultz in under two minutes.  How much of that was blowing off steam from the loss to Rodrigo Damm (8-2) in Saitama, north of Tokyo, 8 June?

Jorge Masvidal: First of all, I never lost to Rodrigo Damm.  Anyone who looks at the fight will agree with me.  The only steam I was blowing off was towards the referee who called my last fight!

Fighters.com: Is it surreal coming from street fighting in Miami and now fighting in Japan?

Jorge Masvidal: Yeah, I’ve been playing street fighter for years.  I love that game.  I always felt I could fight anywhere I wanted too.

Fighters.com: What are your chances of getting a shot at Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (16-2) and the Strikefore title?

Jorge Masvidal: Slim to none.  Who would wanna risk their title against me?

Fighters.com: Thomson just TKO’d “Archer” Ashe Bowman (9-5) in a little over a minute; and, Thomson and Strikeforce imply they can’t find good opponents for Thomson.  Are they ducking you?

Jorge Masvidal: Well, they’re not making any efforts to make it happen.  We’re ready on this side; and, I dont like his hair do.  Reminds me of a drag queen.

Fighters.com:  What’s next?  More fights in Sengoku?

Jorge Masvidal: Yeah, definetly fight in Sengoku, but ready to fight in any promotion that has the top level guys.

“I’m happy with the win,” Misaki said through an interpreter.

There was a frustrating seven-minute build-up to the fireworks finale in which both veterans circled and strategized while  the crowd begged for action.

Riggs struck first in the second round, nailing Misaki with a big left and a kick; but, Misaki countered with a right cross that floored “Diesel”.

Misaki followed Riggs to the mat and landed several shots before referee Josh Rosenthal ended the fight.

“I had my hands covering my head,” argued Riggs after the stoppage.  “But it is what it is.”

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (16-2) knocked “Archer” Ashe Bowman to the fence with a right and followed up with a flurry before referee Herb Dean ended the fight at 1:14 of round one.

Strikeforce debuting lightweight “Endless Warrior” Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1) also won a quick stoppage over “Silverback” Justin Wilcox by armbar submission at 1:21 of round one.

Terry Martin (18-5) returned from a brutal knockout by “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) in July and dropped Cory Devela (9-2) with left hook at 2:08 of round three.

Light heavyweight Trevor Prangley (18-5) picked up a UD over “El Toro” Anthony Ruiz (21-12) in a fight he took on late notice.

Luke Stewart (6-1) tapped Jesse Juarez (6-5) in an armbar at4:55 of round one.

Eric Lawson (7-2) tapped Kenneth Seegrist (5-1) in a rear naked choke at 3:07 of round one.

Brandon Magana (6-1) and Jesse Gillespie (2-2) each won split decisions over Brandon Thatch (3-1) and Dave Martin  (0-2) respectively.

Diaz won, setting up a probable title rematch versus Noons in October.

Noons spoke exclusively to Fighters.com about being the first fighter in mixed martial arts who’s been asked to avenge a win.

Fighters.com: Do you know who made the decision at EliteXC to invite Nick Diaz into the cage after you knocked out Yves Edwards (34-14-1)?

K.J. Noons: No.  Do you?

Fighters.com: No.  I was wondering if you asked around, like, “Who’s the asshole?”

K.J. Noons: I…I don’t know.  Probably someone from ProElite, er…EliteXC.

Fighters.com: You told Inside MMA you weren’t happy about it.  Do you think that’s just what promoters do to hype fights; or, do you take it more personal?

K.J. Noons: Um…you know, if they want to hype a fight, that’s cool.  And…you know, whatever.  Hype me!  Shit!  Stop hypin’ fuckin’ Nick Diaz.  What the fuck!?

Fighters.com: Your knockout of Edwards was a dominating win over a veteran of the sport and it should’ve put the nail in the Diaz coffin, but it was overshadowed by the incident in the cage and only made a rematch with Diaz more inevitable and promotable.

K.J. Noons: Yeah…I don’t know man.  That’s my real feeling.  Whatever, man.  I’m just going to fight whoever they’re going to put in front of me.  I just want to…I mean, I really don’t have a lot of fights.  I’m kind of a new kid on the block, if you want to say, with a title…

Fighters.com: With a title created for Nick.  The whole 160-pound class was created for Nick, right?  Then you came in and beat Nick and ProElite doesn’t know what to do.

K.J. Noons:  Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of a funny story, you know?  Some people look at the whole big picture and they get it and some people don’t.  But, you pretty much nailed it on the head.

Fighters.com: Are you at all entertained by the Diaz brothers?  Their antics are classic combat theatre.  You can’t make it up.  Or, when it’s directed at you, is it just annoying?

K.J. Noons: It’s like these reality shows, man.  You can’t script stuff like that.  It’s hilarious, but at the same time I’m kind of sick of it.  Hey, man, you know what?  Some people are going to like me; some people are going to hate me.  Same thing goes for them.  In every business, boxing, whatever you do, you’re going to have all kinds of characters.  You’re going to have people who are good, bad, stupid, smart, so, you know, it’s whatever.  I’m not a fan of it, but some people are, so…

Fighters.com: Why doesn’t Nick deserve a rematch?  A lot of fans say a stoppage on cuts isn’t a legit stoppage?  The bottom line is that you’re never going to put Diaz in the past without a rematch.

K.J. Noons: Like I said, I want to fight…I want to just get better and keep on improving myself and fighting top guys in the world.

Fighters.com: You don’t think Diaz helps you improve?

K.J. Noons: He doesn’t, but…who knows?  Money talks.  Right?  I’ve got to pay my bills, so, if that’s what people want to see…if people want to see that, then, you know…but, right now I want to get better.  I don’t think I really have anything to gain off that except for a big check.

Fighters.com: Who is the EliteXC #1 contender if Nick isn’t?

K.J. Noons:  [ProElite has] so many organizations, they can make a fight happen, if they want to stay in EliteXC or go out, they have all of these other organizations that they’re supposed to be trying to unify and do all this stuff.  I’ll leave that up to them.  There are some pretty big name people out there that they can get their hands on.

Fighters.com: I was at Strikeforce and, after “Punk” Josh Thomson(15-2) beat “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2), Thomson said he had hoped Edwards would win so they could rematch and unify titles.  Would you like to take Thomson up on the idea of unifying titles?

K.J. Noons: Yeah, I’d love to unify titles.  I think he’s a great fighter.  I think he’s a great guy.  I think that’d be a first step towards unifying some organizations and seeing who is the top guy out there.  I think people would want to see that.  I think our styles match-up very well too.  He’s another guy out there that I think would be a great fight.

Fighters.com: Does the knockout loss to “Krazy Horse” Charles Bennett (21-14-2) still linger; or, could you go the rest of your career without avenging that and be fine?

K.J. Noons:  I’d actually love to fight that guy.  I just don’t think EliteXC wants to give a guy like that a shot.  But, that fight will definitely happen down the line for me.

Fighters.com: There were reports that ProElite Live Events President Gary Shaw was on his way out of EliteXC.  What do you know?

K.J. Noons: Pretty much what you guys read, I’m reading on the Internet just like you.

Fighters.com: Do you have more than a business relationship with Shaw?  Do you consider him a friend?

K.J. Noons: Business.

Fighters.com: It seems like CBS is running the show at EliteXC more and more now…

K.J. Noons: Well, that’s good.  Maybe they’ll appreciate who they have.  My contract is up in November.  You know what I mean?  So, maybe they’ll appreciate someone who doesn’t flick the cameras off and can talk on CBS.  I mean, that shit will fly on Showtime.  You can say whatever you want to say, but…we’ll see.  Maybe they still want to promote pot-smokin’, middle finger, street-fightin’…I don’t know.  Maybe it’s not the organization for me, maybe it is.  I’ve got the belt, so… Hopefully they’ll want to keep me.  I do like them.  I want to stay.  As long as I’m the champion, I want to stay, so hopefully they can see the value in me.  And like I said, in November, my contract is up.  I’ve got two more fights and that’s it.

Fighters.com: Do you have any ambition of being the first two combat sport champion in both MMA and boxing?  A throwback to Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders?  Or, is that just too hard to do in combat sports?

K.J. Noons: If I put my time in and keep on pursuing that and be serious about it, I think I can achieve that.  That is definitely one of my goals.  I’m a two sport person, but I’m so occupied with this right now.  Hopefully I’ll have more time towards the end of the year and after the first of the year to start boxing a lot more.  Or, maybe crossover.  I don’t know.  I think I’m a better boxer than I am in MMA.

Fighters.com: Do you think you’ll be in a boxing ring somewhere and Nick will show up and want to box you?

K.J. Noons: Oh man…yeah, who knows?  Who knows?  Call WWE!

Fighters.com: Thanks for the interview.  Anything else?

K.J. Noons: Check out KJNoons.com or CityBoxing.com.  Thanks to my family and friends and all the fans out there.

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.

“[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.

Phan Robbed

Lightweight Nam Phan (14-4) got robbed in a split decision loss to Billy Evangelista (7-0) by scores 29-28 twice for Evangelista and 29-28 once for Phan.

Evangelista certainly dominated the first round, taking Phan to the mat against the cage and dribbling his head off the mat.

But, Phan fed Evangelista a steady diet of overhand rights for the final two rounds, mixing in a body kick and knees.

Evangelista couldn’t nail the same takedown the rest of the fight, taking an elbow that split his head in a stuffed second-round takedown attempt.

Evangelista’s head was the only thing split about the fight.

Fighters.com scored it 29-28 for Phan.

Southworth Defends

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) remains controversial even after his first-season The Ultimate Fighter run.

During his cage entrance, his hometown crowd in San Jose Friday night couldn’t even decide whether to boo or cheer the AKA fighter.

They did both.

He also remains the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion by five-round unanimous decision over “El Torro” Anthony Ruiz (20-11) by scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47.

After the 25-minute back-and-forth roll on the mat, the controversy subsided, but not in Southworth’s favor as the crowd pelted the champion with boos.

“This is my cage! This is my belt!” Southworth announced after his victory over the fighter who had TKO’d him due to a cut last November.

Southworth dominated the slog, attempting a rear naked choke, armbar, omoplata, and triangle choke in the first round alone.

But, both fighters had emptied their tank near the end of round two and the rest was a sloppy tussle.

Still, Southworth caught a second wind in the fourth and rattled Ruiz with an uppercut/knee combo underneath a Ruiz haymaker.

Later in the round, Southworth had a Kimura held tight, but was too weak to turn Ruiz’s arm over to his back.

Ruiz wrote-in a bit of fifth-round drama when he locked in a guillotine, but was also too weak and Southworth too slippery to finish the technique.

Fighters.com scored the “W” for Southworth by 50-45.

Cariaso Dominates Figueroa

It was a feat for bantamweight Anthony Figueroa (4-3) to survive to 4:34 of round two versus Chris Cariaso (7-1), who submitted Figueroa by rear naked choke.

Cariaso plopped Figueroa on the mat three times over the two rounds; but, it only took once in the second round.

Figueroa couldn’t find his feet as Cariaso passed to mount, pounding and attempting an Americana.

But, it was as Figueroa rose up when Cariaso swept to his back and sank the choke to win.

Metcalf Welcomes Daniels to the Real Deal

Another one-dimensional athlete was sacrificed to the MMA gods when Jeremiah Metcalf (9-4) welcomed “Real Deal” Raymond Daniels (0-1) from Chuck Norris’s World Fight League into mixed martial arts.

Daniels entered the cage 18-0 in the WFL kickboxing promotion.

He left battered, bloodied, and 0-1 in MMA.

Metcalf dominated, taking Daniels down, passing to full mount, and ripping into the MMA rookie.

Daniels gave his back to a rear naked choke as blood oozed from his nose 59 seconds into round two.

Welcome to the real deal, Raymond Daniels.

Caraway Chokes Cacdac

Bryan Caraway (9-2) went octopus on Alvin Cacdac (4-4), shooting at the opening bell and wrapping Cacdac in a rear naked choke at nearly two minutes of round one Friday night in San Jose for the submission “W”.

Trivino Taps Jacob

“Spider” Alexander Trivino (2-0) manhandled Eric Jacob (1-4) for 37 seconds before slipping in an armbar as Jacob defended the guillotine choke Trivino had caught him in as Jacob shot to open the fight.

Padhillo Out-Hustles Johnson

Welterweight Travis Johnson (2-1) flipped the switch at the end of the second three-minute round versus Cyrillo Padhillo (1-0) and scored a left hook knockdown in round three; but, Padhillo’s early takedowns and pot-shots breaking the clinch were too much to overcome.

Padihillo celebrated in the final seconds, coming away with a unanimous decision by 30-27 and 29-28 twice.

Saint Jorge Slays the “Dragon”

Jorge Interiano (1-0) was sainted in his professional debut, slaying “Last Dragon” Travis Johnson (0-1) by doctor stoppage after the second round of a sloppy brawl. A left hook in the second round opened a cut under Johnson’s eye, prompting the stoppage.

AKA is home gym to Fighters.com’s top welterweight contenderJon Fitch(17-2), fourth-ranked “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2), lightweight “Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2), UFC heavyweights “Hungarian Nightmare” Christian Wellisch (8-4) and Cain Velasquez (3-0), Affliction heavyweight “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (25-10), and other professional fighters.

The two-hour session was led by drill sergeant  Koscheck, who instructed fighters in wrestling drills.

(Koscheck and Fitch requested not to be photographed; but, Fitch gave Fighters.com a video interview after he trained.)

Thomson donned a rubber suit and shook his money maker around the mat to drop five-and-a-half pounds to make the 155-pound limit he successfully reached later at the Strikeforce weigh-ins.

Former Bodog and UFC middleweight Trevor Prangley(17-5) must’ve weighed a solid 220-pounds and rolled most of the session with Velasquez.

Buentello stepped into the ring to work on his boxing in preparation for his 19 July fight with ninth-ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3).

Buentello tightened his combos and sured-up his “D” with AKA’s boxing coach.

Velasquez was the most intense fighter at AKA.  His mouth stayed shut, his gaze forward, and he took instruction from the vets while rolling with Prangley and Wellisch.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (8-5) shadow boxed in preparation for his Friday title defense versus “El Toro” Anthony Ruiz (20-10).

Wellisch grappled frantically with both Buentello and Velasquez, twisting the fellow heavyweights into his repertoire of submissions.

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.”

Thompson was more specific to Fighters.com, “I know [Melendez] likes to shoot, has a good right hand, a good left hook.”

Thompson trains at San Jose’s American Kickboxing Academy, home to Fighters.com’s top welterweight contender Jon Fitch (17-2), fourth-ranked “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2), heavyweight “Head Hunter” Paul Buentello (25-10), and Le.

“When it was just me and Paul Buentello.  Paul made a run for the title and I made a run.  We were a lot more arrogant,” Thomson admitted.  “Now, with Koscheck and Fitch in camp, all of that is put away.  We’re just here to work.”

Melendez would frequent AKA for the quality lightweight sparring, ironically, primarily to roll with Thomson.

Melendez told 15 Rounds, “I am training with the Diaz brothers – Nick and Nate.  I train with my worst nightmare Jake Shields all the time.  We’re going to do some rounds tomorrow.  It gets a little discouraging going in there with Jake and a few other guys, but once I get in the cage and lock up, it never feels the same.  I am pushing myself and my body to the limit.  I know that for a fact.”

Thomson also trains with world-class welters.

“Training with Fitch and Koscheck can be bad because they big brother me, hold me down, and I get used to running through my submissions and not improving position, getting up off my back.  I’m working with Justin Wilcox and bringing in Frank Edgar and Eddie Alvarez.  There are some other guys who’ve agreed to come in.  I just have to get them here.”

Thomson is proud of helping to prepare teammate Le for his victory over Thomson’s nemesis, Shamrock, “I enjoyed it, knowing I helped Cung with a game plan to take Frank’s ego down a notch.  Frank will still have a huge ego.  He was born with it.”

Thomson has also called Melendez’s new sparring partner, Nick Diaz (17-7), “mean for no reason.”  He said, “I just don’t understand him.  I was with his brother at a grappling tournament and he was real nice to me.  Then, I’ll see him walking down a hall and he’ll stare you down, like he wants to scrap in the ring, in the streets.  Wherever.”

The showdown between top lightweights for the Strikeforce title will finally pop off Friday night in San Jose.

With respect to MMA’s classiest act, I disagree.

The UFC’s stranglehold over the top of the sport has ensured the best fighters fight each other.

The best match-up in boxing right now is WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus WBA and IBF welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto.

For those not in the boxing know, it ain’t happenin’.

Mayweather is ducking the young bull Cotto for more lucrative, less competitive rematches with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  Those happen to be match-ups Mayweather is more likely to win.  Hell, he’s already beat them both.

It’s the UFC’s umbrella over the sport that has made sure champions fight contenders, not pretenders who allow champions to hold on to belts maximizing the marketability of their reign.

You see, when free agent fighters and their management pick their opponents, whether in boxing or MMA, they tend towards safe fights.

Exhibit A:  Everyone’s favorite MMA ducker, sixth-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1).

While a showdown with third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) has been an option, Emelianenko has picked fights against middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5) and kickboxer “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1).

Such is matchmaking when managers and free agent fighters seek to prolong their marketability versus the safest reasonable opponents.

I mean, Lindland and Choi are both world champions, right?  Nevermind that their championships were in a different weight class and sport respectively than Emelianenko.

I’m not advocating for the UFC.  I could care less about which promoter logo is atop a fight card.  It’s the card itself that interests me.  The fact is, the UFC’s centralized organization of the sport has produced the best fights and, by definition, avoided “becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has.”

Notes From Around MMA

* Top Strikeforce lightweight contender “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2) maintains “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) oiled up before their March 2006 title fight, won by Guida by UD.  Thomson claims, “I mentioned it to Clay’s brother one time.  I said, ‘Clay was really slippery in that fight…’  He just looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘You do what you have to do to win.’  I just thought, ‘Whatever, douche bag.’  But, Clay…I think his career has leveled off.  He got a few big wins, but he’s taken some losses the last couple of years.”

* Couture (16-8) told IGN he’s pursuing a video game deal with EA Sports.  He also claimed, “I don’t care where the fight happens,” in response to a question about fighting sixth-ranked Emelinanenko in the UFC.  Couture had previously expressed his desire not to fight Emelianenko in the UFC.

* UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1), who lost his UFC debut in February to “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2), will return to the Octagon 21 June on the TUF 7 finale versus one of the TUF contestants.  The UFC won’t reveal Yundt’s opponent to him until that fighter is eliminated on the show.

* The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and sanction MMA in the state by a vote of 95-2.  The bill is held-up in the Senate by Senators Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and Bo Watson of Hixson.  The two southeast Tennessee legislators have attached an amendment earmarking the profits from MMA events for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division I wrestling team.  According to the Nashville Post, the amendment may violate NCAA rules.  Tennesseans are urged to contact their state Senators and urge the passing of the bill next week without the earmarking amendment.

* Fourth-ranked welterweight “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and UFC light heavyweight “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1), both New York state residents, and UFC executive Marc Ratner were lobbying New York state Senators Tuesday to legalize and regulate MMA in the state.  A bill legalizing and regulating the sport in New York has passed the state’s assembly, but is opposed in the senate.

* Canadian kickboxer “Black Sniper” Michael McDonald (1-1), 2002 and 2004 K-1 North American Grand Prix Champion, won a decision over American kickboxer “The Jet” Rick Roufus (1-1) in an MMA bout fought under the radar in Romania last month.

* “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) and “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (1-1) will go head-to-head 31 May in a ratings battle.  SpikeTV will air Ultimate Iceman to compete directly with CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9:00 PM EST.  SpikeTV will air an entire day of UFC programming on 31 May, beginning at 11:00 AM EST.

* Star magazine reported that actress/singer Mandy Moore has a crush on top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Moore was in the UFC 83 crowd last month when St. Pierre claimed the UFC welterweight title from Serra (9-5).

* You know it’s a slow MMA news cycle when eighth-ranked lightweight “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) testing negative for steroids in a Nevada State Athletic Commission test is a headline.  Of course he tested negative!  The headline is if he had tested positive…again.

* As I concluded after the first episode of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy May (5-5) is a douche bag and nothing could’ve made me happier than seeing him get smashed by fellow-Cincinnatian Matt Brown (9-6) last night.

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.