Thomson Off Strikeforce Card Again

by Robert Sargent

A leg injury has once again delayed the proposed rematch between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson and Interim Champion Gilbert "El Niņo" Melendez, and "The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida will step in on August 15th.

The fight will be contested for the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship and gives Melendez a chance to avenge his first career loss from "Yarennoka" in 2007.

Melendez (15-2-0) has thrice been set to rematch Thomson, but injuries to both fighters - more notably to Thomson - have cancelled the bout on each occasion. Melendez last competed on April 11th when he knocked out Rodrigo Damm to claim the Interim title.

Ishida (18-5-1) has competed five times since defeating Melendez by Unanimous Decision on New Year's Eve 2007. He has gone 3-2 during that time, but was upset by Mizuto Hirota in his most recent bout at Shooto: "Tradition Final" on May 10th. A second victory over Melendez would give new life to Ishida's career, and would set up an undisputed title fight with Thomson down the line.

Both Melendez and Ishida are relentless in their aggression and both are superb wrestlers. Their first bout consisted of Ishida outwrestling Melendez and controlling the fight, but it was a close decision and Melendez will eagerly seek his chance to avenge that first loss.


The fight came about after Thomson was not medically cleared to face Melendez due to another fracture in his previously broken leg. The injury occurred during training and Thomson had initially tried to persevere, but he will once again have to watch from the sidelines.