Gilbert Melendez

Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg Salaries

The California State Athletic Commission has released the official list of fighter salaries following Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg which took place on Saturday, August 15 at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos ($25,000) def. Gina Carano ($125,000)
Gegard Mousasi ($2,000) def. Renato “Babalu” Sobral ($75,000)
Gilbert Melendez ($50,000) def. Mitsuhiro Ishida ($30,000)
Fabricio Werdum ($50,000) def. Mike Kyle ($14,000)
Jay Hieron ($55,000) def. Jesse Taylor ($12,000)
Scott Lighty ($4,000) def. Mike Cook ($2,500)
Justin Wilcox ($5,000) def. David Douglas ($5,500)
James Terry ($6,000) def. Zak Bucia ($2,000)
Alex Trevino ($3,500) def. Isaiah Hill ($2,000)

Remember that this is only the base salary that a fighter received. Bonuses, deductions, and other undisclosed fees are not included.

Cyborg Stops Carano, Captures Women’s 145-Pound Title

In the biggest bout in female mixed martial arts history, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos stopped Gina Carano via TKO to become the Strikeforce women’s 145-pound champion.

From the opening bell, the fight had a feverish pace as Cyborg immediately came forward and put the pressure on Carano with a flurry of hard strikes against the cage. As Cyborg attempted an early takedown, fans saw Carano sweep Cyborg and gain the mount. Before Carano could put up any offense, Cyborg went for a quick heel hook but Carano calmly escaped.

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Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg Weigh-In Results

The fighters are currently hitting the scales in preparation for Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. Be sure to check back often as we provide you with up to the minute weigh-in results.

Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg will be headlined by a 145 lbs female title fight between Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos. Also featured on the card will be an interim lightweight title bout between Gilbert Melendez and Mitsuhiro Ishida and a heavyweight title bout between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Kyle.

Main Card:

Gina Carano (143 lbs) vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (144.5 lbs)
Jay Hieron (169 lbs) vs. Jesse Taylor (172 lbs) *
Renato “Babalu” Sobral (201 lbs) vs. Gegard Mousasi (204 lbs)
Gilbert Melendez (155 lbs) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (155 lbs)
Mike Kyle (219 lbs) vs. Fabricio Werdum (228 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:

Mike Cook (205 lbs) vs. Scott Lighty (202 lbs)
David Douglas (156 lbs) vs. Justin Wilcox (154 lbs)
Zak Bucia (170 lbs) vs. James Terry (169 lbs)
Isaiah Hill (156 lbs) vs. Alex Trevino (156 lbs)

* Taylor weighed in at 172 lbs and has two hours to weigh-in at the 171 lbs limit.

Ishida to Replace Thomson Against Melendez

Josh Thomson has once again been forced to withdraw from a scheduled rematch against Gilbert Melendez.

The reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion will be replaced by Japanese wrestler Mitsuhiro Ishida, who will take on Gilbert Melendez, a man he once defeated, for the interim Strikeforce lightweight belt at the organization’s August 15 event in San Jose, California.

 

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Damm to Replace Melendez Against Thomson

BodogFight and Sengoku veteran Rodrigo Damm has reportedly been selected to replace an injured Josh Thomson against former PRIDE Fighting Championships standout Gilbert Melendez on Strikeforce’s upcoming “Shamrock vs. Diaz” card this weekend on Showtime.

From The Fight Network:

Stepping in for the injured Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, “Alliance Jiu-Jitsu” standout Rodrigo Damm (8-2) will take on Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (14-2) at “Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz” on April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The Fight Network learned of the replacement matchup on Monday afternoon.

A native of Brazil, the 29-year-old Damm is looking to rebound from a first-round submission loss to Eiji Mitsuoka at “Sengoku: Fourth Battle” last August. The “BodogFight” veteran boasts wins over Jorge Masvidal, Johil de Oliveira and Kultar Gill. Damm will be making his debut for the California-based Strikeforce promotion as a late replacement for this Saturday’s lightweight tilt.

Damm is a great grappler, and has been know to fight above expectations at times, (see his win over Jorge Masvidal) but seems to fold under pressure and Melendez is likely to push a torrid pace during this fight. As long as Melendez doesn’t get too careless on his feet and avoids Damm’s submission attempts on the ground, he should be able to grind out a much-needed win on Saturday night.

Photos: Strikeforce/Showtime Presser

Here’s a small gallery of photos from this past Thursday’s pre-fight press conference for Strikeforce’s “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event, which takes place on April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and will be televised live on Showtime.

Those in attendance at the press conference included former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock, Nick Diaz, former EliteXC champions Jake Shields and Robbie Lawler, and female MMA star Cris “Cyborg” Santos.

All photos were taken by Tom Casino and come courtesy of Showtime. Quotes from the press conference are here.

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Thomson, Melendez to Rematch for Strikeforce Lightweight Title

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will defend his title in a rematch against former PRIDE Fighting Championships standout Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce’s upcoming “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event on April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Various websites, including MMA on Tap, were able to confirm the matchup on Tuesday. Five Ounces of Pain was the first to report the possibility of the bout. Thomson won a five-round unanimous decision over Melendez at a Strikeforce event in June of last year.

Since then, Thomson has only competed once and has yet to defend his belt. The American Kickboxing Academy product last competed at Strikeforce’s second visit to the Playboy Mansion this past September, defeating Ashe Bowman via first-round TKO in a non-title bout.

Melendez has not fought since losing to Thomson either due to taking some time off to heal lingering injuries and opening his own gym in California. The Cesar Gracie-trained fighter has one fight on his current contract with Strikeforce and will become a free agent following his rematch with Thomson.

Melendez Plans to Finish Out Strikeforce Contract in January

After winning his first 13 professional fights, Gilbert Melendez was quickly on his way to becoming the world’s top lightweight, until a trip to Japan for New Year’s Eve had him suffer his first loss to fellow wrestler Mitsuhiro Ishida. A bounce-back win over Gabe Lemley followed but Melendez ended up losing his Strikeforce lightweight title in his latest fight against Josh Thomson in June, and the California native went back to the drawing board.

These days, Melendez finds himself encompassed with the opening of his new gym, but is planning a return to action in January of next year, where he will finish the remaining fight left on his Strikeforce contract before testing out the free agent waters for the first time in a long time according to his comments in a recent interview with MMANews.com:

MMANews.com: What’s next in your fighting career?

Gilbert Melendez: To keep it going man. I didn’t make this gym to relax and make money. I did it for my training and to get better training. I have one more fight left with Strikeforce and after that fight I am going to weigh my options from there. My goal is to look amazing in my next fight because I have no choice to look amazing. I am going to take my time. I believe I will be fighting in January with Strikeforce and then after that I’ll see where I am at.

Melendez has the potential to become a great fighter, but can’t rely on his wrestling alone as he has done in past fights. He’s never seemed to be a fan of exclusive contracts, but if Melendez is able to avenge a previous loss to either Ishida or Thomson in his next fight, an enticing offer from Zuffa might be coming his way.

“Unfiltered: Melendez vs. Thomson” Premieres Friday on HDNet

SAN JOSE, Calif. – HDNet, the first national television network broadcasting all of its programming in the high-definition format, will give fans an all-access, behind-the-scenes look at the lives and training camps of Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion, Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (14-1), and challenger, Josh “The Punk” Thomson (14-2), during a special 30 minute program that premieres Friday, June 13th at 12 a.m EST/9 p.m. PST, two weeks before the two rival forces collide at San Jose’s HP Pavilion.

“Unfiltered: Melendez vs. Thomson” follows both world-class fighters as they prepare for what is arguably the biggest battle of their lives and a fight that will determine supremacy in the sport’s 155 lb. division.

The 26-year-old Melendez, a protégé of both Muay Thai legend Jongsanan Fairtex and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jake Shields, notched his last victory, a second round TKO of Gabe Lemley, live on Showtime during the Strikeforce co-promoted “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” mega-event at HP Pavilion on March 29th.  Recognized by every major, independent ranking system as one of the world’s top five lightweight competitors, Melendez has also established a reputation for being one of the most complete fighters in the sport.   

Thomson has been on fire of late, winning his last six fights in impressive fashion.  Following his last conquest, a first round stoppage of Adam Lynn during Strikeforce’s historic, first event at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills on September 29, 2007, the 29-year-old former Stanford University wrestling star was forced to undergo surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder.  The showdown with Melendez marks his first appearance since his meeting with Lynn.

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Melendez-Thomson Set for June Showdown

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Following a year of anticipation, Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion, Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (14-1), will put his coveted title on the line against number one contender and Bay Area arch-rival, Josh “The Punk” Thomson (14-2), in the main event of a Strikeforce mixed martial arts mega-card at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on Friday, June 27th.

Originally slated for March 29th, the showdown between the 155 lb. superstars was put on hold after it was learned that Thomson would have to undergo surgery for a left shoulder injury he had sustained on his way to victory over Adam Lynn at Strikeforce’s event at The Playboy Mansion on September 29, 2007.

“This is a very big fight for the fans, for the promotion and for Josh and me,” said the 26-year-old Melendez, who turned in another stellar performance in his last effort, stopping Pat Miletich protégé Gabe Lemley with a brutal ground and pound offensive in the second round of their live Showtime-televised contest at HP Pavilion on Saturday, March 29th.  “Josh is a great fighter, but I’m the champ and I plan on remaining the champ for a long time.”

Unbeaten after his first nine starts, Melendez seized the Strikeforce crown from former junior collegiate wrestling standout, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida, on June 9, 2006, battering Guida with kicks and punches for five rounds before being awarded the title by way of judges’ decision.

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