Rodrigo Damm

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.

Back to the Future: Recap Edition

Here’s a little recap of what we might have missed over the past few days or so…

Gomi, Trigg Win at Sengoku IV

Former PRIDE standouts Takanori Gomi and Frank Trigg were victorious in their respective bout Sunday morning at World Victory Road’s “Sengoku IV” event in Japan. Gomi earned a decision over Seung Pang Hwan while Trigg went all three rounds with Makoto Takimoto.

Former IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz was upset in the first round of World Victory Road’s inaugural lightweight grand prix, losing via knockout to Mizuto Hirota. Kazunori Yokota, Eiji Mitsuoka, Satoru Kitaoka all also moved on to the tournament’s next round.

Continue reading "Back to the Future: Recap Edition"

Sengoku IV Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for World Victory Road’s “Sengoku IV” event, which will take place tomorrow morning (North American time) at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, are below. All fighters successfully made weight.

The show will be headlined by former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi taking on Sung Hwan Pang. Frank Trigg will go up against Makoto Takimoto in another feaured bout and the first round of the organization’s inaugural lightweight grand prix will also take place.

Non-Tournament Bouts:

Takanori Gomi (154 lbs) vs. Sung Pang Hwan (154 lbs)
Frank Trigg (182 lbs) vs. Makoto Takimoto (180 lbs)
Pawel Nastula (224 lbs) vs. Yang-Dong Yi (220 lbs)
Valentijn Overeem (238 lbs) vs Kazuo Takahashi (208 lbs)
Peter Graham (244 lbs) vs. Moise Rimbon (211 lbs)

Lightweight Grand Prix:

Ryan Schultz (153 lbs) vs. Mizuto Hirota (154 lbs)
Clay French (154 lbs) vs. Satoru Kitaoka (154 lbs)
Eiji Mitsuoka (154 lbs) vs. Rodrigo Damm (154 lbs)
Kazunori Yokota (154 lbs) vs. Bojan Kosednar (153 lbs)