Damm Steps In To Face Melendez

by Robert Sargent

With the recent injury to Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson, submission ace Rodrigo Damm will battle Thomson's original opponent, former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Niņo" Melendez, in an Interim title bout.

The explosive bout, which will determine a number one contender for Thomson's Lightweight title, will be part of the Strikeforce: "Shamrock vs Diaz" card on June 11th.

Originally scheduled to be a rematch from Thomson and Melendez's first meeting last year, where Thomson captured the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship with an extremely lopsided Unanimous Decision, Melendez will now have to contend with Damm, who is highly accomplished in jiu-jitsu.

Melendez (14-2-0) will hold a significant edge in striking, though Damm (8-2-0) did score a recent - albeit controversial - TKO victory over highly-touted striker Jorge "GameBred" Masvidal. Damm came up short in his next fight, however, as he was submitted by Eiji Mitsuoka at Sengoku IV last August.

The fight will mark Melendez's return to competition, as he has not fought since the loss to Thomson. Another loss would be his third in four bouts, and would be detrimental to the well-rounded fighter's career.

If Melendez is able to keep the fight on the feet, it could be a short and painful night for Damm, but Damm's skills on the ground far outshine those possessed by Melendez.


The Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship bout will serve as the co-main event of the night, which is headlined by a catchweight grudge match between trash talkers Frank "The Legend" Shamrock and Nick Diaz.