Strikeforce Review and Results : Josh Thomson kicks his way to victory

Strikeforce Review and Results : Josh Thomson kicks his way to victory
By Robert Rousseau

Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson came to us all from the HP Pavilion in San Jose on June 27th. Two championship fights- Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony Ruiz and Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson-were on the docket.

So let's get to things in brief Submit To MMA style.

Billy Evangelista vs. Nam Phan : Closest Fight of the Night: On one hand, Evangelista displayed very strong takedowns, ground control, and ground and pound in this fight, especially in the first round, one that he dominated. On the other hand, Phan hit home with the stronger shots on his feet every time the fight stayed upright. The final two rounds were very close; I wouldn't have wanted to be a judge in this one.

Billy Evangelista wins via majority decision.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship : Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony Ruiz: "He's not gonna tap me out; he's not gonna knock me out," said Anthony Ruiz coming into this fight, which was a rematch against an opponent he had once defeated.

Ruiz was right in that he wouldn't lose via stoppage.

Still, Southworth controlled the majority of this fight with multiple takedowns. That said, he did get turned over on several occasions and generally neither fighter did much damage with strikes or submission attempts. In the end, the fight was controlled by the champion, so the champion rightfully won out.

Bobby Southworth wins via unanimous decision.

The Main Event : Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson: "I guarantee it's going to be one of the fights of the year," said Gilbert Melendez coming in. He also believed that he would bring home victory.

Not a good night for the former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion. And there's the hint, by the way.

Boxing Equipment and Protective Gear In the end, Thomson landed over 60 kicks on his adversary through five rounds. And these weren't of the light peppering variety, either. Rather, the kicks Thomson kept landing were hard low kicks and front kicks that hurt both the head and especially body.

Melendez seemed content to stand with Thomson, which didn't work for him. Further, on the occasions that he did look for the takedown, Thomson was able to navigate away and even secured some takedowns of his own.

Thomson just looked physically stronger and like a better striker in this fight. Thus, he took home a decisive unanimous decision victory. Melendez showed great heart just getting through the fight without being stopped.

Josh Thomson wins via unanimous decision.

RESULTS

-Josh Thomson def. Gilbert Melendez by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan by Split Decision, R3

-Bobby Southworth def. Anthony Ruiz by Unanimous Decision, R5

-Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:59, R2

-Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:34, R2

-Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Brain Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:39, R1

-Cyrillo Padhillo def. Jesse Jones by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson by TKO (Doctor's Stoppage) at 3:00, R2