Gilbert Melendez Set to Defend Strikeforce Title Against Shinya Aoki April 17th on CBS
by Mike Fagan on Mar 2, 2010 5:56 PM EST
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Josh Gross reports that Gilbert Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight title against Dream lightweight champ Shinya Aoki April 17th on CBS in Nashville, Tennessee.
Melendez, the number eight lightweight in the world, enters the bout on a three fight winning streak, which includes avenging his only career losses to Mitsuhiro Ishida and Josh Thomson.
Aoki, ranked second at lightweight, rattled off three wins in Dream after Hayato Sakurai knocked Aoki's welterweight aspirations into the Pacific.
Two points of interest with this announcement:
1. What will Shinya Aoki wear into an American cage? If you don't know him for crying (after wins and losses) or snapping arms like twigs, you most certainly know Aoki for the colorful spandex pants he wears in his fights. Aoki's donned a pants/shorts combo in his last three fights. Will he ditch the pants entirely or will he game the system George Sotiropoulos style?
2. How will Strikeforce manage three title fights? Strikeforce (and/or Showtime/CBS) have had numerous problems with the pacing of their shows. The promotion canceled a fight between Mark Miller and Deray Davis at the Fedor vs. Rogers show due to time constraints. Given the fighters involved, there is a good chance two of the three title fights go the distance. With entrances, intro videos, and breaks between rounds, we're looking at 45 to 60 minutes to pencil in per title fight. Will the promotion and the production team be able to keep the show on schedule?
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Here's a solution
How about CBS gives them all 3 hours and they record the prelims. Make sure start the prelims with plenty of time to get them all in.
Now you make it a 5 fight card and if the matches end early you show the prelims.
by bigdmmafan on Mar 2, 2010 4:30 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Considering that they both train at 10th planet
I expect him to don the George S look. How bad ass is it that Aoki’s gonna be on CBS? Looking forward to Aoki beating melendez and get all crazy afterwards lol. Hope they let hm play his enterance song.
J mackin Roe 623
by JRO623 on Mar 2, 2010 4:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Neither of them train at 10th Planet
Aoki never did, and George did for a short while, but that was quite some time ago
But... rubber guard!
Crack head control! Locoplata! Made up code talk I came up with while I was high!
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Mar 2, 2010 4:38 PM EST up reply actions
Neither of them train at 10th Planet
Aoki never did, and George did for a short while, but that was quite some time ago
Well, Aoki and Bravo have at least hung out a bit.
by JRN on Mar 2, 2010 5:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
nice find
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Mar 3, 2010 6:13 AM EST up reply actions
That song is awesome and I have no idea why.
Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
by lowellthehammer on Mar 2, 2010 5:07 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed. I know lots of people hate, but I’ve always been fond of it.
I guess it’s the theme song to some famous anime. “Baka” means idiot/foolish.
Yup…it’s called Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHcOW3NyYwY
If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
i love the idea of the fight but why is coker obsessed with putting Dream fighters in title fights, has he learned nothing from the Overeem situation, how often is Aoki likely to fight in the US if he does win the belt Dream certainly isn’t going to be happy about him fighting 2 or 3 times in the US
Hasn’t Aoki said that he wants to fight regularly in the US? Or did I just dream that one up?
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
Yeah, Aoki is obsessed with (and, I think, really romanticizes) Western MMA. It’s where he wants to be.
As for Dream being reluctant to let him go… true to an extent, but mostly because he’s been a good company man to this point and they don’t want to lose a strong Japanese competitor like him. He’s not super popular nor that much of a draw. In fact, I think he rubs a lot of fans there (like here) the wrong way.
From MMARising.com on the UG
CBS executive Kelly Kohl said that the April CBS event will likely only televise the three title fights. It’s possible that a fourth fight might be shown, but sounds like probably just the three.
really?
I thought they would at least throw Walker on there. Do they really think Hendo is that big of a draw?
Strikeforce and CBS officials told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the broadcast will run approximately two hours with apparent room to run over the allotted time if needed.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/18144/strikeforce-nashville-on-cbs-officially-announced-for-april-17.mma
So will they show more fights if time allows? This is a serious question with SF’s timing difficulties last time out.
by ufc4 on Mar 2, 2010 6:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
aoki fighting in america is a good look. I hope this is one step closer to the UFC and BJ Penn, Ive been wanting to see Penn kick his ass for awhile now.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
by pitbull187 on Mar 2, 2010 4:36 PM EST reply actions 7 recs
Will he be able to wear his pants though.
If his pants are on the ground I can’t see him winning.
On Y2K Alex Jones was on the radio yelling that Russian was nuking the USA.
Now is this an indictment of Alex Jones, or an indictment of Jones' fans.
It seems as though people love being lied to & having their money stolen from them.
Viva L' America
April show could go great or reallly bad for Strikeforce.
Bad.
1. Overeem knocked out by Rogers
2. The title fights are long and dull.
by snakecharmer1340 on Mar 2, 2010 4:37 PM EST reply actions
How is that bad for Strikeforce? Aoki winning would be far worse.
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
It’s bad because if Rogers wins they have no marketable contenders for Fedor left, at least not any that might provide a real challenge.
by ufc4 on Mar 2, 2010 6:27 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Maybe Aoki will test positive for roids and blow our mindsssssss
But in all seriousness, I am interested to see how Aoki handles someone like Melendez, I could see his fight going the same way as his 2nd fight with Sakurai.
Nice to see the Tobikan Judan make it to Stateside!
Please tell me that isn’t official….
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
Aoki stateside is going to be awesome, but like they mentioned before Coker is playing with fire and potentially devaluing another title.
The real question is if he brakes Melendez’s arm on live NETWORK TV is that the death of MMA on CBS. Especially if he pulls the same middle finger salute he did at his last fight. Can we make sure Big John refs this one (to prevent above)?
Does Aoki have a twitter and can someone ask him if he has a sub name ready just in case?
Melendez and Aoki don't have a problem with one another
Aoki and Hirota did. I wouldn’t expect any of that in this fight regardless of what happens..
Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
by lowellthehammer on Mar 2, 2010 4:57 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Not really up on the hate between fighters in Japan. I have a hard enough time finding a place to watch the shows with no HDNet, but thanks for the info.
omg that would be awsome!
Please let it be a flying armbar!
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 5:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just popped wood at the mire thought of that.
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 5:12 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I bet Dream would need to renegotiate the contract if it had half of Strikeforce’s titles…. Mr. Coker, it’s a bad idea to let strangers fondle your balls, you never know when they’ll start squeezing.
"an excellent example of why most MMA "journalism" is a joke. Pseudonyms like "toxic" and shitty writing like that dopey article"--- Joe Rogan.
...they'd have two belts if Aoki won.
2/5 < 1/2
Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
by lowellthehammer on Mar 2, 2010 5:03 PM EST up reply actions
these are some awesome fights
but im still firmly in the belief that this card will tank they just have no big names on it for the american fan
If they are only planning on showing 3 fights live, I think it could work.
they need to go very no frills on the entrances in the arena and not show them at all on TV. The LW fight will probably end early (but if it doesn’t there will be problems).
They NEED to tape at least a few prelims because all 3 fights can end early, and it will be very silly if they do and there isn’t more fights to fill the time. As for worries about going long, going a little bit long has happened in the past, so it can happen again, but one thing that would be very helpful would be getting an advertiser to present the Hendo/Shields fight (or maybe the first few rounds of each fight) commercial free. Doing that prevents going to commercial every 5 minutes, and it can help speed things along by making sure there aren’t any unneeded tv timeouts in the middle of the fight.
CBS/Showtime love to run a ton of commercials.
by snakecharmer1340 on Mar 2, 2010 5:39 PM EST up reply actions
Sort of like Spike. That's how TV works.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
Phildo raised a valid idea though.
Have Mauro keep saying “This fight is brought to you without commercial interruption by RVCA! This is their slogan!” and then proceed with shitty, over the top commentary with Shamrock while showing the corners.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Mar 2, 2010 5:48 PM EST up reply actions
Don't forget Gus calling every fight that night the greatest [noun] in the history of MMA.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
Every time I look at that video I wonder if CBS overloaded on the popularity of Gus.
By giving him the MMA slot.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
All this before an extra from the Thriller video
shows up to do awkward post-fight interviews.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Mar 2, 2010 5:56 PM EST up reply actions
Gus and Quadros are the worst interviewers ever.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
To be honest
I’d love to see Aoki refuse to tap…snap…and everyone laugh at him. What a classless person. I really liked him until that. Well, he accomplished what he wanted…people want to see him fight…the just want to see him lose.
I have seen Aoki snap 5 arms at least!
If he has someone in a deep sub and they wanna “fight out of it”, I hope they like having their arm in a sling for 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. I like The Tobikan Judan and hope he wins. He acted like a jerk one time after a fight with someone he didn’t like. He gets a pass from me.
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 5:50 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Fantastic card for the hardcore MMA fan
Too bad unless Herschel is the “4th fight” of the main card the ratings for this would likely be mediocre.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
Looks like no 4th fight
Only 2 hours are being allotted for the three title fights.
Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
by lowellthehammer on Mar 2, 2010 5:41 PM EST up reply actions
They're setting themselves up to fail
None of these fighters except maybe Hendo has ever been seriously marketed to the casual fan. No Fedor on here = No great ratings. They will have to do some serious advertising for this to work.
But for this night they can bug off because I’m watching this sucker. Some great matchups.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
I think Strikeforce sees itself as the champion of the hardcore fan
Which sucks for them, because only making matchups for hardcore fans doesn’t work out well when you have to get ratings on network TV. Can’t say that I personally am disappointed though.
Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
by lowellthehammer on Mar 2, 2010 5:48 PM EST up reply actions
i dont know?
Wont seeing great fights get fans?
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 6:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
ehhh?
Smith is not great, he just hits hard. Same with lawler. Mosassy is great. Shinya is great on the ground. Dan and Jake are elite. I think this card could be wonderful for Getting new fans.
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 6:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
On Scott Smith:
I will watch him fight ANYBODY. Anybody. After the Cung Le and Benji Radach fights, I’m a believer. Not to mention the Pete Sell finish, or how long he stayed on his feet against Diaz. I think he set the record for strikes absorbed per minute. The kid is a fucking warrior.
I think Smith vs. Leben would be one of the ugliest, drunkest, most awesome fantasy brawls that MMA could produce. It would make Don Frye proud. Please Dana, co-promote!
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Mar 2, 2010 6:39 PM EST up reply actions
I think they are working with what’s available. I think if they promote the shit out of these fights during march madness April and May could be huge for Strikeforce as far as the non hardcore fan.
by KING FEDOR on Mar 2, 2010 6:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Strikeforce and CBS officials told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the broadcast will run approximately two hours with apparent room to run over the allotted time if needed.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/18144/strikeforce-nashville-on-cbs-officially-announced-for-april-17.mma
Well 3 fights it is then.
The Seattle Seahawks offense is driving......right into a brick wall at the end of the tunnel.
On the one hand I hope Melendez exposes Aoki
But on the other I want him to catch Melendez, make his way to the UFC, and watch BJ humiliate him.
I like this line of thinking.....
But I think Melendez will horribly expose him. Aoki = Maia. He’s a total 1 trick pony and he’s not going to catch the best of the best.
Maia is a top ten fighter what’s to expose? One loss, 10 submission wins, and one Dec. win. What is to expose?
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 6:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Aoki getting "exposed" is a myth
I don’t why people keep thinking someone will expose Aoki.
He fought and beat JZ, Hansen (twice), and Alvarez – all of whom as good if not better finishing prowess than Melendez. He arguably won the first Sakurai fight as well.
Aoki has always been “exposed” as one-ish dimensional fighter (contrary to popular belief, his wrestling is actually above average, and he’s incredibly saavy with his takedowns, leaving aside his ability to pull guard), but because he’s so effective at fighting where he needs to be, he’s capable of beating fighters people consider “more well rounded”, which doesn’t mean shit if you can’t stop Aoki’s rubber guard.
By the same token, his style also means he’s prone to bad losses. So it’s a double edged sword when it comes to his style, but it’s not like losing to Melendez will prove he can’t then go on to beat someone like Thomson, or Kawajiri (though I’ve got Kawajiri in that one).
by David Castillo on Mar 2, 2010 6:08 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
But losing to Melendez will prove (or heavily imply) that he can’t hang with the top of the pile in the UFC, and specifically that he should not be ranked by popular consensus as the No. 2 lightweight in the world – which was my original point. As it happens I love Aoki; he’s an incredibly talented and exciting fighter, however his ranking at No. 2 lightweight in the world at this point in time is off the mark (not massively, but nevertheless) and therefore inaccurate.
I gave up on #2 rankings.
Anyone who ever was considered as an opponent for Fedor was magically #2 within 6 weeks.
It was almost as comical as the attempt to portray Brett Rogers as a top ten heavyweight for beating him.
by yukkurishiteittene on Mar 2, 2010 10:46 PM EST up reply actions
I guess you missed how Arlovski was rated #6 in the world behind Fedor, Randy Couture, Big Nog, Josh Barnett, and Tim Sylvia when he left the UFC. And how:
- Tim Sylvia lost moving him up to #5.
- How Big Nog and Couture lost moving him up to #3
- How he beat ranked opponents Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson to leapfrog #2 Josh Barnett.
Yeah, he just magically got labeled #2 after they announced he was fighting Fedor.
As for Brett Rogers, you must have missed the part where he dropped one spot as the Fedor fight approached.
by John Nash on Mar 3, 2010 2:16 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Thanks for doing the research to prove my point. He suddenly became the second best heavyweight in the world by beating a bunch of IFLers; let’s not even get started on the comedy of Josh Barnett.
As for Brett Rogers, it’s shameful enough that he is ranked in the top ten.
by yukkurishiteittene on Mar 3, 2010 7:04 AM EST up reply actions
there is nothing to expose
He is a fantastic grappler don’t hit the mat and you may win. But with a guard like his he can just pull guard so usually it hits the mats.
by Rayce. on Mar 2, 2010 6:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Unless MMA has magically gained a massive hardcore following overnight
I see no possible way for this to be a ratings success.
This card is a hardcore MMA Fan’s dream.
Don’t know about the ratings though.
Having Herschel on the card would help them a lot.
“This card is a hardcore MMA Fan’s dream”
I really don’t know that I’d go that far. This is gonna be a nice card for SF but it’s no where close to being a dream card for me.
He makes a fair point
in the grand scheme of MMA, can any of these fights really be considered “dream fights.” Has anyone truly been clamoring for Hendo/Shields? Mousasi/Mo? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good, high level card. But I don’t see any dream matches here.
Dream card, not dream fight...
When was the last time you saw three fights, as interesting as these, on the same broadcast? I can’t remember off the top of my head.
You’re right, none of these are really Dream fights: Lesnar/Fedor, Mousasi/Machida, Silva/Mousasi, Silva/Machida, BJ/Aoki, GSP/Hendo, GSP/Shields.
I'm just a dude who's trying to put it together.
You’re really pushing this point way too hard.. We get it man; you’re excited for this card. Don’t you find it unusual that you’re trying so hard to convince people to like it as much as you do? You’re encouraging people to find reasons not to like it. Just enjoy yourself, take a breather..
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
Did I forget to mention...
This card is fucking awesome!!!
I'm just a dude who's trying to put it together.
I've got to ask
do you even understand the point you’re making? Why on earth did you spout off a list of matches that obviously would be considered dream fights to make your point? I’m at a loss. Those hypothetical matchups you rattled off clearly fall in another category then any of the matches we’re getting on this card. As I already said, it’s a good card with good fights. But how can a dream card have no dream fights? That doesn’t make a bit of sense.
My point is simple
It’s a dream of mine to watch an mma broadcast that consists of three awesome match-ups involving the top echelon of fighters. The reason it is a dream, is because this actually happens very rarely (it’s difficult for promoters to make this happen). As you can see, a dream card (by my reasonable definition of a dream card), really has nothing to do with whether or not there are any dream fights.
As my list of dream fights show — dream fights, like dream cards, very rarely happen (it’s difficult for promoters to make these happen).
So, in summation, a ‘dream’ is something that is very difficult to make happen.
Get it?
I'm just a dude who's trying to put it together.
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