Gilbert Melendez defeated Mitsuhiro Ishida by third-round TKO Saturday night on the Strikeforce: Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg undercard, winning the first two rounds of the fight before getting Ishida's back and raining punches down on him in the third.
The first round was fairly close, but Melendez showed superior striking and landed more punches. In the second round a Melendez punch landed up a cut on the right side of Ishida's head, and blood streamed down for the rest of the round. By the end of the second, Ishida looked like he was in trouble.
And then in the third, Melendez finished it off, getting Ishida on the ground, taking his back, attempting a rear-naked choke and then simply pummeling him in the head until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
The fight was a rematch of a New Year's Eve 2007 fight in Japan. Ishida won that fight by unanimous decision, but on Saturday night in San Jose, it was clear that Melendez was the better fighter.
Melendez has improved his record to 16-2, and defended his Strikeforce interim lightweight title. He has now gotten revenge against one of the men who has beaten him, and he'll next fight the other, Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, who beat Melendez last year but hasn't fought since September because of multiple injuries. Melendez will fight Thomson again as soon as Thomson is healthy, but for now, Melendez is the best lightweight fighting for Strikeforce.
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Carano vs. Cyborg
Cris Cyborg punches Gina Carano in the face at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009, in San Jose, California.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Carano vs. Cyborg
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Jon Kopaloff, Getty Images
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Jon Kopaloff, Getty Images
Jeff Chiu, AP
Jon Kopaloff, Getty Images
Jeff Chiu, AP
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Esther Lin, Strikeforce