HDNet will air a half-hour preview show this Friday (June 14) at 12 a.m. ET, detailing the June 27 Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Thomson" event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The show will feature all access training footage for both main event fighters, 155-pound champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (14-1) and Josh "The Punk" Thomson (14-2) as the pair prepare for their lightweight title fight in two weeks.
Melendez is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the esteemed Caesar Gracie, but can also finish with his hands. He won the Strikeforce lightweight title in June of 2006 with a split decision win over UFC veteran Clay Guida.
This will be his second title defense -- the first came in March during the Strikeforce: "Shamrock vs. Le" event when he stopped Gabe Lemley in the second round with strikes.
"The Punk" also fought Guida, but was on the losing end of the decision. His other loss was a highlight-reel knockout courtesy of Elite XC lightweight contender Yves Edwards at UFC 49: "Unfinished Business." Other than those two blips, he's been stellar so far in his MMA career with wins over Hermes Franca, Nam Phan, Duane Ludwig and others.
Thompson has a wrestling background from Stanford University and trains at American Kickboxing Academy with guys like Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, among others.
This is going to be a great fight and more hype from a preview show can't be a bad thing. HDNet has really does a nice job of providing solid MMA coverage. Let's hope the network keeps it up.
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