Well, There Goes Josh Thompson…And Here Comes Mitsuhiro Ishida
(For the last time, if I agree to make you guys pancakes as soon as we get home will you get in the damn car? The cops will be here any minute.)
Despite his grim determination to fight on through injuries come hell or excruciating pain, Josh Thompson has been forced yet again to withdraw from his Strikeforce lightweight title defense against Gilbert Melendez, the organization announced via a press release this afternoon. Thompson was not medically cleared to fight, suggesting that at least there are some doctors willing to look out for his health even if he’s too damn gutsy to take it into consideration. Now Mitsuhiro Ishida will step in to face Melendez for the Strikeforce interim lightweight title instead.
You might recall that Melendez dropped a decision to Ishida for the first loss of his career on the New Year’s Eve Yarrenoka show in 2007, though since then Ishida’s gone 3-2 and is coming off a TKO loss to Mizuta Hirota in a May Shooto event. At least this means that Strikeforce still has a lightweight title fight – sort of – and they won’t be forced to scratch Melendez from the card entirely.
As for Thompson, he’s said to have reinjured his problematic toe during training, and if you’re thinking that sounds like a sissy injury to go out on, let me tell you that while on assignment for Fight! Magazine earlier this month I had a chance to watch Thompson spar at AKA. The guy had to stop several times because he was in such debilitating pain, but each time he insisted on continuing. Just watching him crumple to the mat over and over again made me want to retire from pro fighting, and I’d never even considered taking it up.
He’s a tough son of a bitch, is what I’m saying, and was willing to fight through it if he could have gotten cleared. I’m thinking it’s probably for the best that he wasn’t.
Word has it that Takanori Gomi was offered the fight against Melendez but turned it down due to the relatively short notice, even though he was already set to fight on the Affliction event this Saturday and so should have presumably been in fight shape. Doesn’t he know that jumping in to this Strikeforce event is what all the cool kids from Affliction: Trilogy are doing?
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Comments
CJ Says:
I'm no expert but if you're crumbling to the mat several times during a training session, maybe it's time to take a break and let your body heal a little bit?
There's no point in pushing through an injury like that. If it causes you to stop during training how do you plan on fighting with it?
They should strip him of the title and let him come back and fight for it when he's actually healed. Interim belts are lame.
ZombieLove Says:
Nooo! Damn that Strikeforce card! They aimed too high and now it's crumbling a little. *sad face* Still watch it though. Where else you gonna find free fights with big names?
Oooh ooh, first! Yay me!
*Edit* - Guh, in the time it took my shitty intertubes to finish doing what I said, damn CJ beat me. Dick.
One Two Says:
fedor replaces Overeem, The card must be saved! get it done Strikeforce
schnetzler Says:
anyone else think this card is cursed? next thing you know it'll be August 8th, Cyborg's body is going to start rejecting her sex change drugs, she'll pop for having to much testosterone, and Josh Barnett will come out saying how unprofessional she is...either that or Gina will announce that after a long night of anger-fueled make up sex, she is pregnant with Kit Cope's baby...and Scott Coker will hold a press conference announcing "f*ck it...we were never going to compete with the UFC anyway...we're shutting down...you think Dana will let me write Strikeforce on one of the cage posts of the octagon?"
NickDiazSaysSmo... Says:
i LOLd at the pic
CJ Says:
@schnetzler
i completely forgot about how josh said that about Cyborg. Man he looks like such an asshole now. what's more unprofessional, getting popped for roids or for not making weight?
@ZombieLove
i love you too, cutie
Kadumel Says:
Anyone else thinks Gomi di not take the fight because he may be in talks with the UFC? Gomi vs. Maynard would be a good fight.
ReDx Says:
CJ...
They would never strip him of his belt. This is Strikeforce we are talking about. Look how long its been since Overeem and Cung-Le have defended their belts. If anybody needs to be stripped its them. They have a very poor belt system, the only reason the LHW belt is seeing action is because Affliction is gone, then this is the WW belts first appearance.
Marcer Says:
Pfft. I had money on Thomson, and at -120 he was a total steal. Huge bummer.
Turkish Says:
kadumel "Anyone else thinks Gomi di not take the fight because he may be in talks with the UFC? Gomi vs. Maynard would be a good fight."
No I don't think that because MMA Weekly reported Gomi said no to the fight because it was too short notice. And Gomi vs. Maynard would be a terrible fight. As are most of Maynard's fights.
Gomi vs. Alvarez would be a great fight.
Jay Smith Says:
no comment
Kadumel Says:
@Turkish,
You believe everything you read? Too short notice when he was already training for a fight at Affliction? I think not. We will see though, today maybe.
dbiggles Says:
ishida is a more than suitable replacement i am happy w this fight as you should all be if you have seen ishida fight
omunto Says:
injuring your big toe is horrible. It is such a small injury but it sticks around forever. Any kind of foot lock and he'd be done, best to sit out and not look like a bitch in a title fight. The injury is most annoying because its a localized pain so you feel great everywhere else and it plays tricks with your mind making you think you can continue.