Josh Thomson came out and didn’t care if he was fighting a friend and training partner. Thomson won all five rounds with his accurate striking that most fans have never seen. Melendez was unable to counter the relentless left body kicks, straight right kicks, punch combos and seven takedowns that Thomson featured!

Here are the quick results:

Strikeforce World Lightweight Title:

Josh “The Punk” Thomson def. Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez via Decision (unanimous) - R5, 5:00 (Thomson claims the Strikeforce lightweight championship)

Lightweight:
Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan via Decision (split) - R3, 5:00

Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight Title:

Bobby Southworth def. Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz via Decision (unanimous) - R5, 5:00 (Southworth successfully defends his Strikeforce light heavyweight championship)

Meisha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell via Decision (unanimous) - R3, 3:00

Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels via Submission (rear naked choke) - R2, 0:59

Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa via Submission (rear naked choke) - R2, 4:34

Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios via Decision (unanimous) - R3, 5:00

Brian Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac via Submission (rear naked choke) - R1, 1:39

Undercard:

Cyrillo Padhillo def. Jesse Jones via Unanimous Decision

Eric Lawson def. Jesse Gillespie via Submission - RNC Round 1 (1:03)
Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson by TKO - Doctors Stoppage Round 2 (3:00)

Alexander Trivino def. Eric Jacob via Submission - Armbar Round 1 (0:37)

Posted by Dave of PunchDrunkGamer.com

MMA Rated recently conducted an interview with Scott Coker, the CEO of Strikeforce, regarding what’s ahead for the promotion. Coker had some very interesting things to say in the interview. Here are some highlights:

* There have been preliminary talks between Strikeforce and NBC to air a live event sometime in the future

* The next Strikeforce at the Playboy mansion show will take place the weekend of September 19th.

* Kazuo Misaki will be making his Strikeforce debut on the Playboy card. Also scheduled to fight at the mansion is Renato “Babalu” Sobral, the winner of Thomson/Melendez and, assuming his visa issues are straightened, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.

* No word on which network will air the Playboy show but Coker did not rule out the possibility of it airing on the station that boasts a peacock as its logo.

Considering the relative success of Strikeforce’s Saturday night show given the time slot, it’s not hard to imagine them being on national television sooner than later. Coker knows what he’s doing. He’s running the only promotion outside of the UFC right now that’s in the black. Everyone else is bleeding money. He knows a good thing when he sees it and he has solid matchmaking to boot. Another promotion getting onto national television, especially one with Coker at the helm, can only put more pressure on the UFC to get a television deal done.

Yet another member of the Shamrock family will be entering the sport of mixed martial arts.

San Jose-based MMA promotion Strikeforce announced last night that Jeff Shamrock, a nephew to UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, has signed a multi-fight contract to compete for the company.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity,” Shamrock is quoted as saying in a press release issued by Strikeforce. “Signing with Strikeforce gives me a chance to put all of my training to the test, and to develop an elite fighter. I am really looking forward to fighting for them.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is equally as excited about Shamrock’s arrival.

“I am definitely excited to have Ken Shamrock’s nephew as a part of the Strikeforce team,” Coker is quoted as saying. “Jeff possesses that incredible Shamrock strength that his family is known for. I expect great things from Jeff and look forward to his professional debut.”

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As mentioned by Adam Morgan on this site, Ariel Helwani of MMARated.com broke the news last night that the California State Athletic Commission did not clear Joe Riggs in time for a planned fight between he and Luke Stewart during scheduled for Strikeforce’s show tonight in San Jose, Calif.

Helwani followed up the report by revealing that Drew Fickett had been chose as a replacement for Riggs. However, in a strange turn of events, Fickett has been prevented from accepting the fight due to a previous contractual commitment, according to TKOExtreme.com. The long-time MMA veteran is already scheduled to fight Ryan Ford in Canada for the MFC welterweight title on July 25.

As of now, Stewart could be without an opponent for tonight’s show, which is scheduled to be televised on HDNet and will feature Gilbert Melendez defending the Strikeforce lightweight title against Josh Thomson.

If you’re a California-based welterweight with recent medicals, you might want to give Strikeforce a call.

We also now know the reason why Riggs wasn’t licensed. According to MMARated.com, Riggs took a prescribed percocet and a decision by CSAC was made not to clear him due to concerns that traces of the drug would still be in his system upon mandatory drug testing. It should be noted that it was Riggs’ camp who made the decision to notify the commission.

“Mr. International” Shonie Carter has signed a contract with San Jose-based MMA promotion Strikeforce. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

According to a press release issued by the promotion, Carter, 39-17-7, will make his Strikeforce debut on June 27 in a welterweight bout against Luke Stewart.

Carter is best known for two stints on reality television. He was featured during the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which was billed as “The Comeback.” Currently, he can be seen as a coach on BET’s “Iron Ring” series.

Carter, who made his professional MMA debut in 1997, holds notable victories over the like of Dave Menne, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, and Jason MacDonald.

His opponent, Stewart, is 5-1 with all of his pro MMA fights having taken place in Strikeforce. He was a perfect 5-0 heading into an fight this past March against Tiki Ghosn that took place on the undercard of the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le co-promotion between Strikeforce and EliteXC. Ghosn displayed outstanding Muay Thai in the fight and recorded an upset unanimous decision victory.

The June 27 show will be headlined by a Strikeforce lightweight title defense by incumbent Gilbert Melendez against challenger Josh Thomson and will be televised live on HDNet.

This past weekend was a crucial spot for the long-term growth of MMA and the sport delivered with flying colors. Not only did EliteXC peak at 6.51 million viewers during Saturday’s debut of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS, but the WEC double its highest-ever rating on VERSUS.

The success of MMA on broadcast and cable television is only going to make networks more bullish on the product. Television is not an industry ripe with new ideas; once a concept is successful, everyone tries to knock it off. When NBC had “ER,” CBS had a similar emergency room drama in “Chicago Hope.” The “Law and Order” franchise has spawned numerous crime dramas, so much so that even NBC has knocked off its own show with multiple spinoffs. When NBC hit it big with “Friends,” ABC tried to launch a blatant knockff called “Townies” with Molly Ringwald in the lead role. I could go on and on. Mixed martial arts will prove to be no different. The idea of bringing viewers and new advertisers to the ratings wasteland of Saturday night will be too enticing to resist.

If you’re a fan of free MMA then you should be very happy now. Based on the ratings results this past weekend, we’re going to see more MMA on network television and basic cable. But which networks are going to follow CBS’ lead and which promotions will be involved? While we’ll have to wait for definitive answers, I decided to break down the field and take a look at how this past weekend affected the major promotions.

EliteXC - Saturday night was make or break for the promotion. And while Kimbo Slice’s mystique is not what it was going into the show, the silver lining is that his fight peaked at 6.51 million viewers. If he had knocked out James Thompson in round 1 and didn’t draw any kind of rating, it wouldn’t have mattered because EliteXC would have been dropped by CBS and that would have been the beginning of the end for every major promotion on network TV.

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Strikeforce announced Tuesday that the promotion has added a lightweight contest between Nam Phan and Billy Evangelista to the undercard of its June 27 show that will feature Gilbert Melendez defending the Strikeforce lightweight title against Josh Thomson.

The event is expected to be carried on HDNet.

Phan, who has a strong following within the Vietnamese community, last fought in February for the Gladiator Challenge promotion, where he recorded a second round TKO Saad Awad. Prior to the Awad fight, he fought and won last October against Shad Smith during the Extreme Fighters World Championships in Anaheim, Calif.

Phan has also competed against notable opponents such as Gesias Calvancante, Josh Thomson, and former WEC lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough.

“It should be a great matchup,” Phan is quoted as saying in a press release issued by the promotion. “I know (Evangelista)’s pretty good at wrestling and ok at Jiu-Jitsu and he’s got great Muay Thai. I think his striking is better than mine, but my strength is Jiu-Jitsu. I always prefer Jiu-Jitsu and submitting opponents.”

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Strikeforce’s next show is scheduled for June 27 in San Jose, Calif. at the HP Pavilion, the promotion announced via a press release on Friday morning.

The promotion also revealed in the release one of its feature matches scheduled for the card, which will be a Strikeforce lightweight title match by Gilbert Melendez against Josh Thomson.

The two had been scheduled to fight during the Strikeforce and EliteXC co-promoted event on March 29 that was headlined by Cung Le winning the Strikeforce middleweight title from Frank Shamrock. However, Thomson was forced to bow out after injuring his shoulder while preparing for the fight.

Melendez ended up defending his title vs. Gabe Lemley, whom he defeated via second round TKO.

Thomson vs. Melendez is the only match officially announced by Strikeforce for its June 27 show.

I wanted to remind everyone that “Strikeforce on NBC” debuts Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2 a.m. ET in most markets. It will be airing earlier and later in select cities so make sure you check your local listings.

A lot of people are complaining about the time of the show, but if you have DVR, it doesn’t really matter. Support MMA on network TV.

Tomorrow’s premiere will feature matches between current Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le taking on Brian Warren as well as Duane “Bang” Ludwig scaring off with Tony Fryklund.

Here’s a quick video preview of “Strikeforce on NBC”:

Five Ounces of Pain is running our popular during the live event chat Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Le card tonight  starting at 9pm ET.

While you watch the fights on the Showtime channel, you can talk smack with other hardcore MMA fans HERE as the fights happen. If you don’t have Showtime, we’ll provide blow-by-blow coverage of each bout.

Sponsoring our Strikeforce live event chat is StrikeFirstGear.com. The dudes at Strike First Gear are giving away prizes to the chat participants that can pick the winner of the final two bouts on the card:

Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le
Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley

Pick the winner, method of win, round and time for your chance to win hoodies, t-shirts and hats from StrikeFirstGear.com! Check out their site for all the goods.

JOIN the chat and be sure to join other Five Ounces readers, staff, and other MMA fans on Saturday night!

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Here’s my rundown of the five scheduled matches to be televised on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET) during tonight’s EliteXC and Strikeforce co-promotion featuring Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le.

Before I get to the fights, I wanted to let everyone know that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that an opponent for Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson during EliteXC’s debut on CBS on May 31 has been finalized. The word making the rounds right now is that Slice could be in San Jose and appear on tonight’s telecast and reveal his opponent.

I’ve heard two names rumored. I don’t want to comment on the names because the information is highly speculative and I wasn’t able to get anything confirmed. It’s very possible neither of the names I’ve heard mentioned will be signed for the fight. I will say this: it won’t be Ken Shamrock or Don Frye.

Now, here’s my thoughts on tonight’s fights, with predictions.

Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen - Even though Joe Riggs and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos were forced to pull out of this scheduled bout, Jensen is here representing Strikeforce so this bout is still technically an “EliteXC vs. Strikeforce” bout.

Jensen is grateful for this opportunity to be fighting on a big show once again but there will be a lot of pressure on him. As of now, the word is that he’s on a one-fight deal with Strikeforce. The deal could be extended, but he needs to win here.

Doing so against a fighter the caliber of Villasenor will not be easy. While Jensen has better technique on the ground, and possibly on the feet, I expect Villasenor to have a significant strength and speed factor.

In my eyes, Villasenor is the better athlete while Jensen is the better technician. That being said, Villasenor is not exactly sloppy. He’s a well-rounded fighter who is continually improving in all facets of the game. Jensen is the kind of guy that is easy to root for, but I’m afraid this could be a one-sided bout in Villasenor’s favor.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

Jerry Millen, speaking on behalf of Strikeforce and Scott Coker, officially announced Strikeforce’s television pact with NBC during Thursday’s EliteXC/Strikeforce press conference at the HP Pavilion.

According to Millen, the show will debut on Saturday, April 12th, following Saturday Night Live.

The Strikeforce deal with NBC comes hot on the heels of the EliteXC network television deal with CBS.

Check out more Strikeforce content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com!

We have updated several of the fight cards on our Events section. Click below to see the most up to date matchups for each event.

• Strikeforce/EliteXC - Shamrock vs. Le - 3/29/08
• UFC Fight Night 13 - Florian vs. Lauzon - 4/2/08
• UFC 84 - Penn vs. Sherk - 5/24/08
• The Ultimate Fighter 7 FINALE - Sanchez vs. Fioravanti - 6/21/08
• UFC 86 - Rampage vs. Griffin - 7/5/08

On the latest episode of HDNet’s Inside MMA, originally aired on March 14, the word is that Pancrase and PRIDE veteran Kazuo Misaki has signed a two fight deal with Strikeforce, according to Ron Kruck. His first fight for the San Jose-based promotion will also be the middleweight’s second appearance in North America.

Misaki’s last fight ended with a guillotine victory over Afghan fighter Siyar Bahadurzada at World Victory Road’s inaugural event. Misaki’s most noteworthy recent fight however was his controversial bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama at Yarrenoka! on NYE ‘07. Originally ruled a win over the oft-vilified Akiyama, the fight-ending soccer kick was later ruled illegal and the bout called a No Contest.

Misaki is no stranger to the big stage with victories over big names such as Dan Henderson, Denis Kang and Phil Baroni. He also has losses to Ricardo Almeida and Nate Marquardt on his ledger and fought Jake Shields to a draw in 2003. The middleweight division is a strength of the Strikeforce’s stable of fighters, including the headliners for the promotion’s huge March 29 event, Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. A rematch with Baroni is also possible.

No additional details yet on the contract or his first fight. Check in with FiveOuncesOfPain.com for the latest on Misaki’s signing!

Sorry for the lack of posts today but I had to meet with my accountant (more tax stuff) and am working on a project with a big deadline.

The big news yesterday was MMAjunkie.com’s report that NBC and Strikeforce are on the verge of announcing a deal that will result in Strikeforce airing on NBC late Saturday nights. Dave Meltzer doesn’t believe it’s too big of a deal and while his logic makes sense, I don’t agree because the more MMA on network TV, the better.

Even if the initial time slot isn’t the best, it’s still better than nothing. Just because Strikeforce might not air until the wee hours of the morning doesn’t mean that is going to be the case a year from now. You have to start somewhere.

I want to see MMA on network TV be a success because I’d love to see the sport head in a direction where it’s routinely accessible for free as opposed to a pay-per-view basis. If MMA flops on network TV then you will have to continue to pay out of pocket in order to see the biggest fights.

Dana to show Arlovski more love?

I saw a clip of NBC Sports/MSNBC.com’s MMA show and saw where Dana White acknowledged he may have made a mistake with Andrei Arlovski and that he needs to show him “some more love.”

CLICK HERE TO READER THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

That’s the word according to MMA Junkie:

NBC and Strikeforce will soon announce a deal that will give the quickly growing mixed-martial-arts organization a weekly presence on major network television.

Sources close to the deal tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that a formal announcement of the partnership is expected within the next week. However, Strikeforce executives didn’t return phone calls from MMAjunkie.com requesting comment.

As part of the NBC deal, fight footage from past Strikeforce events will likely be shown in “highlights” shows, not unlike the Pride Fighting Championships shows that currently air on Fox Sports Net. The first Strikeforce show is expected to air in mid-April.

The report goes on to say that these shows will most likely take place after “Saturday Night Live” runs on NBC, so they will be in a very late spot, unlike the prime time spot that EliteXC will have on CBS. It should be interesting to see how the highlights show does and if it leads to any live shows on NBC in the future. If I’m Strikeforce, I’m making sure the first fight I show is Gilbert Melendez vs. Clay Guida for the Strikeforce lightweight title. That one is a barn burner and a fight that could turn a lot of people on to mixed martial arts.

When: March 29, ‘08
Where: San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion

Here’s the latest on the Strikeforce/EliteXC event:

• STRIKEFORCE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
  Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le @ 185lbs
• STRIKEFORCE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
  Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley @ 155 lbs
• Mike Kyle and Wayne Cole @ 170 lbs
• Ryan Jensen vs. Joey Villasenor @ 185lbs
• Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim @ 165lbs
• Luke Stewart vs. Tiki Ghosn @ 170 lbs

Check out more Strikeforce content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos has been tapped as a replacement for Joe Riggs in a middleweight matchup against Joey Villasenor on the combined Strikeforce and EliteXC show slated for March 29 in San Jose, according to MMAWeekly.com.

The show, which will take place at the HP Pavilion and will be televised on SHOWTIME, will feature a main event involving Frank Shamrock defending his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le.

Riggs was scratched from the bout vs. Villasenor after re-injuring his back in a match against Cory Devela during a Strikeforce show on February 23 in Tacoma, Washington.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz confirmed to MMAjunkie.com earlier today that a proposed Strikeforce lightweight title match between incumbent Gilbert Melendez and challenger Jorge Masvidal is no longer on the table.

The bout, first reported by FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) had been discussed as a possible undercard fight for a March 29 event to be co-promoted by Strikeforce and EliteXC that will be headlined by Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock.

Masvidal sustained a shin injury during last Friday’s “Strikeforce at the Dome” show in Tacoma, Washington. In spite of the injury, Masvidal was still able to record a unanimous decision victory over Ryan Healy.

The news is disappointing on two fronts.

First, this is the second proposed lightweight title match that has been scrapped due to injury. Melendez was originally supposed to face Josh Thomson but the match was unable to move forward after Thomson required shoulder surgery.

Also, another match that was expected to feature middleweights Joey Villasenor and Joe Riggs could be scrapped after Riggs suffered a back injury last Friday vs. Cory Devela.

An official announcement pertaining to Riggs’ status for the March event has not been made, nor has an official announcement been made as to whether Strikeforce is seeking a replacement for Masvidal.

Strikeforce at the Dome sucked.

There I said it.

Ever since Jan Nortje finished off Bob Sapp in 55 seconds, it has almost been like (to paraphrase a line from the late-great Bill Hicks) a turd has fallen into the collective drink of all MMA fans and bloggers.

You would be hard pressed to find much post event coverage of the show that took place this past Saturday on any MMA blog or website. It is as if everyone has just closed their eyes and are hoping that when they open them, the bad show will be gone.

It is not Strikeforce’s fault that the Washington event went down the way it did. Before the event I saw the card as one that was filled with fighters with not a whole lot of technique or drawing power but I thought that they would lend themselves to entertaining encounters.

Unfortunately that was not the case.

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