STRIKEFORCE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE CHALLENGER GILBERT MELENDEZ WORKOUT PHOTOS AND SOUND BITES

Posted on | March 31, 2009 | 4 Comments

Thomson vs. Melendez II precedes Shamrock vs. Diaz Main Event

Live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT)

From the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif

Photo Credit: Matt De La Rosa for Strikeforce

Above are Gilbert Melendez photos and sound bites from last Friday’s open media workout at Gracie Sports Center in Pleasant Hill, Calif. Melendez spent the afternoon displaying some light training and workout techniques for the media in attendance.

Melendez (14-2), the former Strikeforce lightweight world champion, will attempt to recapture the belt when he takes on current champ Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) on Saturday, April 11 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the HP Pavilion at San Jose. The fight is a rematch of their classic five-round battle in 2008 when Thompson earned a unanimous decision victory over Melendez to win the title.

The “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event represents the dawn of a new age for Strikeforce as it will be the first one under its new television agreement with Showtime Networks Inc. The live telecast will feature up to five fights including a thrilling main event between three-time world champion and MMA legend Frank Shamrock (24-9-1) and fellow knockout artist Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC) contested at a catch weight of 179 pounds.

Middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) will also meet in a featured contest.

Rival forces from different worlds will meet when women’s mixed martial arts (MMA) sensation, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (6-1) of Brazil collides with “Smack Girl” Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (14-5) of Japan, in a 145-pound showdown.

Heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) forces, Brett “The Grim” Rogers (8-0) and “Abongo” Humphrey (12-0) will put their unbeaten records on the line when they face off.

Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” priced from $30, are available for purchase at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Below are some highlights from the attached sound bites recorded at the workout. For full audio, please download the documents attached to this email.

What do expect from Josh:

“I expect the same Josh. Sticking and moving, sticking and moving, and trying to stay light on his feet. He’ll fight with a lot more tricks, a lot more strategy. Maybe go low, and then high and fight at a lot more angles. Josh is a great. He’s a pioneer in the sport and I expect everything from him. He’s good everywhere. He had great takedowns last time as well and I expect a good fight from him.”

On how his training is going:

“I feel great. I feel like 25 minutes is like a normal thing for me. It’s a jog. It’s always hard to feel completely prepared because I always feel like there isn’t enough time in the week to prepare and do everything I need. I feel confident that I’m going to do a hell of a lot better than my last performance out there. I’m just looking forward to performing a lot better than last time.

Are there any friends at 155 pounds?

“Everything is different now. Guys have asked me to train. Diego Sanchez asked me to train now that he’s dropped out of 155. I’ve learned it is war out there. You gotta have your team and you have to stick by it. Sometimes you want to do things to help you out. It’s nothing personal out there, but I want to beat every 155-pounder out there except Nathan (Diaz) so it’s just the way it has to be.”

About Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.