Gilbert Melendez (14-1) will defend his Strikeforce lightweight belt against Josh Thomson (14-2) on Friday, June 27 in San Jose, California.
The two Californians were originally scheduled to clash on the main card of the hugely popular "Shamrock vs. Cung Le" event on March 29 but Thomson withdrew in January because of a left shoulder injury that required surgery. Now the two will headline Strikeforce's next event, the appropriately titled "Melendez vs. Thomson" at the HP Pavilion.
Melendez, a product of the Cesar Gracie camp, has defeated the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri, Clay Guida and Rumina Sato and is currently ranked #5 on MMAFighting.com's list of the top ten lightweights in the world.
Thomson, who trains with Team AKA in San Jose, compiled a 2-1 record with the UFC and a 1-0 record with PRIDE Bushido.
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