Gilbert Melendez vs. Pat Healy headlines Strikeforce's September event

Gilbert Melendez returns to action in September, and Pat Healy will be the next man to try and take his Strikeforce lightweight title.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the matchup with sources close to the fighters.

Melendez and Healy will meet in the headliner of the previously announced event, now entitled "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy," which takes place Sept. 29 at Power Balance Pavilion (formerly ARCO Arena) in Sacramento, Calif.


The co-main event will feature recently crowned STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix Heavyweight champ and San Jose’s own, Daniel Cormier, returning to the cage to take on his next challenge, as he looks to keep his unbeaten streak intact and prove he truly is one of the best in the division. Cormier’s opponent will be announced in the coming days.

Might not be the most exciting fight but I think Healy deserves it.

Maybe they can do Thompson vs Couture on the same card.

Boo. I was down with the 4th Thompson fight. Last one was badass. Gil will tool Healy.

Gil fights in September and Eddie fights in October. Maybe if they both win we can finally get that matchup? It's not like Eddie would be that close to a UFC title shot even if he did go right to the UFC. Maybe he could get a quick shot if he never lost to Chandler. But now you have Diaz waiting for his shot and Pettis is still in front of the line for the next. Not to mention if Frankie beats Bendo that clusters shit up even more since Bendo would be at the top of the list for another shot. Might be simpler to have Eddie vs Gilbert until things start to smooth out.

OU wrote:

Gil fights in September and Eddie fights in October. Maybe if they both win we can finally get that matchup? It's not like Eddie would be that close to a UFC title shot even if he did go right to the UFC. Maybe he could get a quick shot if he never lost to Chandler. But now you have Diaz waiting for his shot and Pettis is still in front of the line for the next. Not to mention if Frankie beats Bendo that clusters shit up even more since Bendo would be at the top of the list for another shot. Might be simpler to have Eddie vs Gilbert until things start to smooth out.

No way Jose. I want Gil to get a legit unification bout for his first fight outside Strikeforce. I think he will be beaten by whomever the champ may be at that time, but I still think he deserves it. If Alvarez walked in and beat Gil, then there goes another potential superfight. Same thing we saw with Nick.

jewzilla wrote:

OU wrote:

Gil fights in September and Eddie fights in October. Maybe if they both win we can finally get that matchup? It's not like Eddie would be that close to a UFC title shot even if he did go right to the UFC. Maybe he could get a quick shot if he never lost to Chandler. But now you have Diaz waiting for his shot and Pettis is still in front of the line for the next. Not to mention if Frankie beats Bendo that clusters shit up even more since Bendo would be at the top of the list for another shot. Might be simpler to have Eddie vs Gilbert until things start to smooth out.

No way Jose. I want Gil to get a legit unification bout for his first fight outside Strikeforce. I think he will be beaten by whomever the champ may be at that time, but I still think he deserves it. If Alvarez walked in and beat Gil, then there goes another potential superfight. Same thing we saw with Nick.

Yeah but we have no idea how long Melendez is going to be forced to stay with SF. Doesn't appear that the end is near. So why not have this super fight that we have wanted for years now? Eddie vs Gil has been talked about for years now. Assuming Gil is stuck in SF, why not have him fight Eddie?

Besides if Eddie beat Gil then he would have alot of hype around him for a Super fight. He was highly regarded before he lost to Chandler. Beating Gil would go a long way in getting that hype back. It just gives the winner that much more hype for when they do get to the UFC.

I guess youre right. Either one winning will fuel their hype. Still would want Gil though. Didnt realize he was stuck with Strikeforce. Fuckin Showtime.

jewzilla wrote:

I guess youre right. Either one winning will fuel their hype. Still would want Gil though. Didnt realize he was stuck with Strikeforce. Fuckin Showtime.

https://ninjasplace.forumotion.net/t18563-ronda-rousey-luke-rockhold-other-strikeforce-fighters-reportedly-contractually-blocked-from-moving-to-ufc?highlight=rockhold

There have been different reports to exactly how long and who is tied to SF. Dana was optimistic when he first got involved with the Showtime talks, he has since soured on the deal. But they are stuck.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/29789/dana-white-says-no-list-in-place-but-strikeforce-fighters-staying-put-while-showtime.mma
"While there's still a deal with Strikeforce and Showtime, they can't go over," White said.

The co-main event will feature recently crowned STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix Heavyweight champ and San Jose’s own, Daniel Cormier, returning to the cage to take on his next challenge, as he looks to keep his unbeaten streak intact and prove he truly is one of the best in the division. Cormier’s opponent will be announced in the coming days.

Fuck yes about DC. I dont know why I ever complain about Strikeforce match making. I love Strikeforce cards. They are always entertaining, and it is a nice refresher from the normal UFC card. I would really like if Zuffa kept Strikeforce around.

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Ali wrote:

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Well Dan and Josh are literally the only 2 HWs on the SF roster, they had to bring in an outsider, they didn't have a choice. Healy earned his shot.

Ali wrote:

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Well, hopefully Mir will be the icebreaker in this regard.

captain organic wrote:

Ali wrote:

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Well, hopefully Mir will be the icebreaker in this regard.

One should hope.

captain organic wrote:

Ali wrote:

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Well, hopefully Mir will be the icebreaker in this regard.

It's a completely unique situation. Technically SF doesn't have a HW division anymore. This is going to be the last SF card to have any HWs on the card. Zuffa doesn't have to worry about Showtime wanting Mir to stick around if he wins the fight. That's a conversation they don't have to have. But it's a different situation when it's in an active division where the fighters are tied to Showtime long term. This is a much less complicated fight for both sides. If a LW comes in and beats Gil, then what? Gil is still stuck in SF but I'm sure the UFC would want to take their guy back to the UFC. But would Showtime like that?

OU wrote:

captain organic wrote:

Ali wrote:

So Daniel gets Mir but they can't even get a Lightweight over for Gil

Well, hopefully Mir will be the icebreaker in this regard.

It's a completely unique situation. Technically SF doesn't have a HW division anymore. This is going to be the last SF card to have any HWs on the card. Zuffa doesn't have to worry about Showtime wanting Mir to stick around if he wins the fight. That's a conversation they don't have to have. But it's a different situation when it's in an active division where the fighters are tied to Showtime long term. This is a much less complicated fight for both sides. If a LW comes in and beats Gil, then what? Gil is still stuck in SF but I'm sure the UFC would want to take their guy back to the UFC. But would Showtime like that?

Howeva, this just makes my recommendation of Chael Sonnen to SF even better. Chael wants to be Champion or not fight. Give him a shot at Rockhold. Why not? What else can they do? Pray that Jacare wins his next fight and remains healthy? Just to give us a rematch? I'm sure more people would be interested in Chael Sonnen vs Rockhold. Hell put it on this same card. UFC vs SF.

Kings you still going to this?

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30438/jorge-gurgel-vs-mizuto-hirota-added-to-strikeforce-melendez-vs-healy-lineup.mma
With the addition to the card, the "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy" lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT)

Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Pat Healy (for lightweight title)
Guto Inocente vs. Gian Villante
Adriano Martins vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Quinn Mulhern vs. Jorge Santiago
Caros Fodor vs. Josh Thomson

PRELIMINARY CARD (Showtime Extreme, 8 p.m. ET/PT)

Mike Kyle vs. Dion Staring
Jorge Gurgel vs. Mizuto Hirota
Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Yuri Villefort
Amanda Nunes vs. Cat Zingano