‘El Nino’ Gilbert Melendez is headed to the Octagon

Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez has been on a mission to prove himself the best Lightweight fighter in all of Mixed Martial Arts.  With the exception of veteran warrior Pat Healy, Melendez has essentially cleaned out the Strikeforce Lightweight Division.  In his last 7 fights, Josh Thomson has been the only one to defeat Melendez (unanimous decision), and Melendez has already gotten his win back twice, the first being a barn-burner of a fight at Strikeforce: Evolution, and the second being

Who is next for Gilbert Melendez: Healy or Alvarez

Gilbert Melendez defended his Strikeforce Lightweight title for the fourth consecutive time on May 19, when he defeated Josh Thomson via split decision at the Strikeforce:Barnett vs. Cormier event which took place in San Jose, California.After 9-straight title fights and 7-straight wins, Melendez not only retained his title, but had finally shut the door on his four-year rivalry with Thomson. As is the case in any split decision, the win was contested by some fight fans. As far as Melendez is concerned,

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Payouts and Salaries

The Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Cormier salaries for the fighters were released by the California State Athletic Commission on Monday, reports MMAWeekly.com.Topping the list were Josh Barnett, who lost to Daniel Cormier, and Gilbert Melendez who won over Josh Thomson by split-decision. Half of Daniel Cormier’s payday was a $50,000 win bonus. Melendez received no such bonus for his win by split-decision. These figures do not include any undisclosed bonuses, such as “fight of the night”,

Gilbert Melendez on Strikeforce vs. UFC, ‘I have changed my goals’

On a conference call today concerning the Strikeforce® Heavyweight Grand Prix Final scheduled for May 19, fighters Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez fielded questions from the media.
Melendez answered the burning question of his future as a fighter.  Specifically his multi-year contract with Strikeforce® and his one-time goal of being the number one Lightweight in the world: “Obviously, to be the number one guy in the world, you’ve got to be a champion in the UFC. I have changed my goals.

Gilbert Melendez, who will be left to fight him?

Gilbert Melendez (20-2) is scheduled to fight Josh Thomson (19-4-1) for a third time on May 19, 2012 in San Jose, California at Strikeforce 40: Barnett vs. Cormier.
The odds are favoring Melendez, and even though Thomson is coming off a recent victory, his last loss was to Tatsuya Kawajiri (31-7-2), whom Melendez had defeated in 2011.
The question becomes: What happens next for Melendez?
Dana White has gone on record saying that he wanted to bring Melendez over to UFC. White went so far as to attempt to

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal: If “Rampage” Jackson can handle Matt Hamill, I’ll shut his mouth up

On this week’s episode of HDNet’s Inside MMA, host Kenny Rice is joined by former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, top Heavyweight contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and Lightweight stand-out Josh Thomson. During this segment, the panel discusses which interpromotional fights they are most interested in seeing between UFC and Strikeforce competitors, during which time “King Mo” calls out former UFC Champion “Rampage” Jackson. Photo: Francis Specker

5 Fights you shouldn’t miss this October

Unlike the “dry” month of September, October promises a lot of excitement with some high quality Mixed Martial Arts fight cards. While the fights like Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez are obviously getting all the spotlight, here’s a short list of fights that you shouldn’t miss this October.Enjoy!Josh Thomson vs JZ Cavalcante When: Strikeforce Diaz vs Noons II, October 9th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California HERO’s Champ Gesias Cavalcante will make his long-anticipated return to US, fighting the