(Despite not being able to afford a shirt, JZ remains upbeat about the situation.)

When you’re a fighter and your income is dependant on how often you fight, it’s understandable that you might get a bit upset when your employer, without explanation, keeps you out of work for an extended period of time.

Such is the case with Gesias Cavalcante.

"JZ" has been sitting on the sidelines waiting since October for Strikeforce to call to tell him when he would be fighting next. Unfortunately for the American Top Team lightweight his phone has been silent the past three months so he decided to take matters into his own hands and contacted the San Jose-based promotion to see what was up.

Not surprisingly, he was given the runaround.

“I’m basically in the dark. I wanted to fight on either the December or January Strikeforce card. I was told they were full, so I was told I’d be fighting in the February show," JZ, who signed a four-fight deal with SF prior to his last fight explains. "That got full, so I heard March would be it. But that’s coming up quickly. I don’t know when or who I’m fighting.


Although his career has hit somewhat of a rough patch with a string of recent injuries and losses, Cavalcante (15-4-1), who is hoping to improve on the less than stellar 1-3 four-fight record he strung together in the four fights he fought since 2008, says he’ll fight anyone Strikeforce matches him up against, but admits that he wants a chance to avenge his last loss some time before the end of 2011.

“I would like to have another fight with Josh [Thomson], for sure. And I think that would be fair. Not just for me, but for the fans as well," Cavalcante says. "Everywhere I go, fans are asking for a rematch with that fight."

Cavalcante, who has beaten a laundry list of notable fighters in his career like Rani Yahya, Hiroyuki Takaya, Andre Armade and Vitor Ribeiro says that he knows he will likely have to work his way up the ladder before earning a shot at Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez, but points out that unless he’s given more than one or two fights a year by the promotion, getting there will take a while.

“I’m a challenge for anybody there, and I just want to prove that. But I need the fights to prove that. I just want to fight as much as I can, every three or four months, if possible," he explains. "I really want to get back in there.”

He may be waiting a little bit longer for a fight if Strikeforce decides to put him in its planned lightweight tournament in May, especially if there is concern that the injury-prone Brazilian might get hurt fighting between now and then.

According to Josh Gross, Strikeforce is currently negotiating with DREAM promoter Real Entertainment to co-promote a show in Japan in May that will feature the eight-man 155-pound grand prix. The report states that Coker and company will supply five yet-to-be-named fighters while JMMA will be repped by three of its own: Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Katsunori Kikuno. Expect names like Thomson, Beerbohm, Ribeiro, and quite possibly Melendez to be included in the tourney.

Hopefully JZ doesn’t get overlooked again when they’re planning this show.