Strikeforce today officially announced the headlining bout for their upcoming “Evolution” event as Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC) will return to action to battle the promotion’s interim 155-pound kingpin, Gilbert Melendez (16-2), at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 19.
As MMAmania.com first reported last week, this will be a much anticipated rematch of their June 2008 championship fight in which Thomson dethroned Melendez and usurped the belt after recording a five round unanimous decision victory.
It was actually supposed to go down much sooner on the “Shamrock vs. Diaz” card in April 2009; however, Thomson was forced to withdraw because of a serious leg injury while training for the bout. As a result, Melendez was paired with Rodrigo Damm to determine the interim lightweight champion, which “El Nino” won via second round technical knockout…
