Gilbert Melendez

("I'll have the usual." Photo courtesy of MMA TKO.)

We can officially add Strikeforce lightweight champ Josh Thomson to the list of Epically Cursed fighters that already includes James Irvin and Amir Sadollah. The Punk told MMA Weekly that he re-broke his leg in training, postponing his return — and rematch against interim champion Gilbert Melendez — even further:

(Nine months later, Cris gave birth to a litter of wolverines. Photo courtesy of YorkBlog.com.)

Wow, TGIF you guys, amirite? We might as well give away some obsolete t-shirts. (Don't worry, a new design is in the works. These things take time.) This week's big winners are...

Sneaky Pete on "Scott Coker Viciously Punk'd by Cris Cyborg": Of all the parties involved with the prank, I think the hypothetical baby was the most relieved.

agentsmith on "Mitsuhiro Ishida Claims Gilbert Melendez Was Greasy": I'm reserving judgement on this matter until I hear what Ishida's mother has to say.

And finally, a "Classic MMA Moments Recreated in MS Paint" submission that hits very close to home...

(Photo courtesy of Strikeforce.)

As first reported by f4wonline.com and confirmed by FiveOuncesofPain, members of Mitsuhiro Ishida's camp have issued a verbal complaint to the California State Athletic Commission that Gilbert Melendez was illegally greased up during their fight at Saturday's Strikeforce event. Melendez defeated Ishida by third-round TKO in a one-sided match marked by Melendez's flawless counter-punching and takedown defense. During their first meeting in 2007, Ishida was able to control Melendez with his takedowns and grappling, which could explain why Ishida thought something didn't feel right in San Jose. Melendez, of course, dismissed the charges as ludicrous, telling Sherdog:

Ishida has until the end of the week to file a formal complaint in writing if he wants to further pursue the charge. As we've seen in the past, greasing accusations can be effective if you're Japanese, and the guy who beat you is Korean, and the fight took place in Japan. It's a lot harder to find sympathy in the U.S., even when you have an entire music video's worth of evidence.

(Props: Mad Xyientist)

While cruising MMAMoneyline earlier today, I was rather surprised to see Gilbert Melendez as a solid favorite to beat Mitsuhiro Ishida in their Strikeforce interim lightweight title fight on Saturday. After all, Ishida defeated Melendez by decision at Yarennoka! less than two years ago. It was a very close match — and maybe the decision could have gone the other way if it didn't take place in Ishida's home country — but Melendez never really put Ishida in serious danger at any point in the fight (expect for when he slammed Ishida on his head, at the 4:12 mark above), nor could he find many answers for the Endless Fighter's grappling; Ishida's aggressive wrestling and nonstop pace was absolutely Guida-esque. On the other hand, they'll be on Melendez's home turf for the rematch, and Ishida is coming off a nasty TKO loss to Mizuto Hirota. It's a pick 'em, and the winner will take on Josh Thomson...someday. Part one of their first meeting is above, and part two is after the jump.

(Photo courtesy of promma.info)

No fighter goes into a match 100% healthy — but Josh Thomson's situation is particularly troubling. Four months after breaking his leg in practice — and less than three weeks before his scheduled Strikeforce lightweight title rematch against Gilbert Melendez at "Carano vs. Cyborg" — Thomson told MMAJunkie Radio that he's still very much feeling the effects of that injury: