Gilbert Melendez Comments On Rematch With Thomson

Just days after the announcement of the rematch between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight title, MMA Insider caught up with the Cesar Gracie student to get his thoughts on the rematch, and possibly the biggest fight of his career.

"Looking forward to the rematch," Melendez said in communication with MMA Insider this week.

The bout will happen just about 9 months after the first match-up that saw Melendez lose his title to Thomson via unanimous decision. Since that time Melendez hasn't fought, but has been training for sometime waiting for an opponent.

Now that opponent will be none other than the last fighter to defeat him.

For this fight, Melendez understands that he has to go back and learn from past mistakes to get the win over a very tough and game opponent like Josh Thomson.

"I'm going to look at the tape and come up with a better gameplan," Melendez said about the rematch.

With the fight in San Jose, both Thomson and Melendez will have a big support system in the crowd, but for now the former champion is only focused on getting the title back.

Frank Shamrock Talks Team Tryouts

Burgeoning mixed martial artists will get the chance to join renaissance man Frank Shamrock's fight team on March 21 in San Jose, Calif.

For 75 bucks (or nothing if you've got five pro fights on your resume) you can show your striking and grappling stuff to Mr. Shamrock. If good enough, you might even win a contract to fight in Strikeforce at an upcoming event.

"We do a team tryout at least once a year and we're really rolling every quarter," Shamrock told MMAInsider. "They're our opportunity to find new talent, and build their careers and promote them effectively.

"It's actually the old tryout from the Lion's Den, made much more technical and scientific, so we can cull new talent."

More than a particular type of training or attitude, Shamrock wanted to provide his team with the right opportunities to grow in the sport.

"To give them the experience I have, and for it to be a positive one," said Shamrock. "My goal is for them to be the best they can be. Whether that's being a champion, or being a fighter, or whatever they want to do, I want to have the opportunity to support that for them."

Meanwhile, Shamrock is hard at work preparing for his fight with Nick Diaz at Strikeforce's "Shamrock vs. Diaz" on April 11. He says he has delegated all his company's management responsibilities to employees, and is focused solely on fighting in 2009.

"I'm feeling the 36 years, but other than that, it's going really well," said Shamrock.

Lauzon Sidelined For 12-14 Months With Knee Injury

In his official blog, UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon on Thursday said "a history of bad luck" with his knees has caught up to him again. Next week, the popular fighter will undergo surgery to repair damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus of one.

Lauzon said doctors would re-setting the cartilage in his meniscus, as well as reconstructing his ACL ligament with tissue from a cadaver.

"It's a very long rehab and my knee may never be the same again," wrote Lauzon.

The injury may put him on the sidelines for 12-14 months as he begins the long road to recovery.

"I will be off my feet for a month to a month and a half... training SUPER light in about 4 or 5 months... training decently hard in about 9 months and fighting in around 12-14 months," continued Lauzon. "It's going to be a long rehab… but thats how it goes."

Since his appearance on the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Lauzon has suffered only one defeat in six Octagon appearances, against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 13. Earlier this month, he defeated up-and-comer Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 17 using an impressive array of ground skills, submitting the Des Moines-based fighter in the second round.

MMA Live Recaps UFC 95 and Previews WEC 39

Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine Talk UFC 96

Massenzio To Undergo Neck Surgery

Wrestling standout and UFC middleweight Mike Massenzio will undergo surgery in the coming weeks to repair several bulging discs in his neck. Massenzio's manager confirmed the news to MMAInsider on Wednesday.

Massenzio suffers from "stingers," a shooting pain in the neck and arms that often occur in wrestlers. During the surgery, he will have several of his neck vertebrae fused to alleviate the pinched nerves in his spine.

Massenzio's bandaged knee was on display during his UFC 91 fight against former wrestling opponent CB Dollaway. Massenzio lost in the first round when Dollaway took his back and landed several unanswered shots.

The manager said Massenzio's had a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and a tear in his meniscus going into the fight. Massenzio underwent knee surgery the following week.

Massenzio will need around six months to recover from the injuries.

"He's in good spirits," said the manager. "We're hoping they give us someone tough when he comes back."

WEC Video: A Day in the Life of Bart Palaszewski

WEC's Bowles May Be Out of Action for 3 Months

MMAWeekly.com recently broke the news that WEC bantamweight Brian Bowles was forced from his title shot at WEC 40 with champ Miguel Torres. Rory Singer, owner of Hardcore Gym in Athens, Ga. and co-manager of Bowles, confirmed that a very recent back injury caused the withdrawal.

According to Singer, Bowles will need 3 weeks to a month to adequately recover from the injury, which he declined to elaborate on.

Singer said they would wait to see what the title picture looked like after the April 5 card in Chicago, but said he would need "2 or so months to get (Bowles) in shape for a 5-rounder."

Since his pro debut in 2006, Bowles is undefeated in 7 appearances, and finished four of his WEC opponents en route to the title shot. The 28 year-old Athens native was unavailable for comment.

Fight Video: Ryan Couture vs. Art Martinez

Andrei Arlovski - The Prototype

Round 5, creators of the World of MMA Champions collectible figures, has quickly made its mark on the mixed martial arts fan base. With two series already released, the company in January announced its next line of collectibles, Series 3, featuring fighters Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Frank Mir, as well as famed referee "Big" John McCarthy.

Earlier this week, Round 5 released exclusive behind the scenes images of the prototype for its new Andrei Arlovski figure. The company gives immense creative control to the subjects for the figures that Round 5 creates. So, of course, Arlovski's figure is captured in his famed pose with his arms spread wide and vampire-fanged mouthpiece intact.

The set featuring Arlovski, Series 3, will be available in April.

Round 5 already has two series on the market. Series 1 features Quinton Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, and Randy Couture. Series 2 features Sean Sherk, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, and Anderson Silva.

(Both Series 1 and Series 2 are currently available in the MMAWeekly.com Online Store either as a complete series or as individual fighters.)

Dana White Believes GSP Cornerman Cheated

Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press recently spoke with Dana White, who pulled no punches about how he feels about Georges St. Pierre's cornerman, Phil Nurse, and his alleged illegal application of Vaseline in St. Pierre's fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 94.

(Audio courtesy of CageWriter.com)

Strikeforce Tickets On Sale for Shamrock vs. Diaz

PRESS RELEASE:

Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” the Strikeforce mixed martial arts (MMA) mega-event that will take place at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Saturday, April 11th, are officially on sale.

Priced from $30, “Shamrock vs. Diaz” tickets are available for purchase at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online, and Strikeforce’s official website.

Three-time world champion and MMA legend, Frank Shamrock (24-9-1), will make his long-awaited return to the cage against Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt and hard-hitting brawler, Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC), in the main event of the most highly anticipated Strikeforce event of all-time.

The headlining matchup, which will be contested at a catch weight of 179 lbs, represents a key opportunity for the 25-year-old Diaz to avenge a devastating, 21 second knockout that his trainer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master, Cesar Gracie, suffered at the hands of Shamrock in the main event of Strikeforce’s historic, inaugural MMA event at HP Pavilion on March 10, 2006.

Middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) will go to war with each other in a featured contest on the card. Additional matchups for the Strikeforce event will be announced shortly.

HP Pavilion doors will open for “Shamrock vs. Diaz” at 4:30 p.m. on April 11th. The first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m. and the main fight card will commence at 7 p.m.

Dana White's UFC 95 Video Blog (2/21/09)

Dan Hardy on His Knockout of Markham at UFC 95

ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com's Steven Cofield caught up with Dan Hardy after he KO'd Rory Markham at UFC 95.