Josh Thomson holds a win over Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, something only one other man on Earth can say. With that 2008 win, Thomson won the Strikeforce title, a belt that Gilbert won back in their rematch the following year.

Thomson will face Melendez for a third time this Saturday in the co-main event of Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier and he spoke to "TheSHOOT" about the fight and what it means for him:

Quote after the jump...

SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier

Here's the quote as transcribed by MMA Mania:

If there's one thing people can never take away from me, it's that I've been a world champion. There's only a handful of people in the world that can say they've been a mixed martial arts world champion and I'm a legit world champion. At the time I beat Gilbert Melendez, he was ranked number three in the world, I believe, and there was a lot of talk about him being even higher than that. Now he's basically considered to be number one and I'm sittin' in the same spot as when I beat him the first time. Gettin' no respect and no one cared and it's gonna end up bein' the same type of fight.