Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson and former two-time K-1 HERO’s tournament champ Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante will face off at Strikeforce San Jose: “Diaz vs Noons 2” on October 9th. The fight, first thought to be set for June, was officially announced today.
Thomson and Cavalcante were tentatively scheduled to meet at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Werdum” on June 26th, but Thomson instead went on to submit veteran Pat “Bam Bam” Healy in the third round. Cavalcante most recently edged Katsunori Kikuno on July 10th in a close fight at Dream.15.
Thomson (17-3-0, 1 NC) came up short in his first Strikeforce title bid in 2006, but captured the title with a one-sided decision victory over Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez on June 27, 2008. However, a series of injuries including a broken leg forced Thomson out of action for over a year and he lost the title in a rematch with Melendez last December. Thomson’s fight with Healy was a very competitive one, but he managed to trap the veteran fighter in a rear-naked choke late in the third round to earn a hard-fought victory. Thomson has won nine of his last ten fights.
Cavalcante (15-3-1, 1 NC) has also struggled badly with injuries in recent years that have impacted his performances inside the ring. The 2006 and 2007 K-1 HERO’s Middleweight (154-Pound) Tournament Champion has fought just three times in the past three years and the victory over Kikuno is his lone win during that time. Bouts with reigning DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki ended in a No Contest and a loss, respectively, for Cavalcante. However, a win over former Strikeforce champ Thomson would immediately place Cavalcante among the top contenders at 155.
Strikeforce San Jose: “Diaz vs Noons 2” takes place on October 9th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The event is headlined by a rematch between champion Nick Diaz and challenger “King” KJ Noons for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. In other featured action, unbeaten Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman defends her title against Marloes “Rumina” Coenen.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)