Josh Gross reports that Gilbert Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight title against Dream lightweight champ Shinya Aoki April 17th on CBS in Nashville, Tennessee.
Melendez, the number eight lightweight in the world, enters the bout on a three fight winning streak, which includes avenging his only career losses to Mitsuhiro Ishida and Josh Thomson.
Aoki, ranked second at lightweight, rattled off three wins in Dream after Hayato Sakurai knocked Aoki’s welterweight aspirations into the Pacific.
Two points of interest with this announcement:
1. What will Shinya Aoki wear into an American cage? If you don’t know him for crying (after wins and losses) or snapping arms like twigs, you most certainly know Aoki for the colorful spandex pants he wears in his fights. Aoki’s donned a pants/shorts combo in his last three fights. Will he ditch the pants entirely or will he game the system George Sotiropoulos style?
2. How will Strikeforce manage three title fights? Strikeforce (and/or Showtime/CBS) have had numerous problems with the pacing of their shows. The promotion canceled a fight between Mark Miller and Deray Davis at the Fedor vs. Rogers show due to time constraints. Given the fighters involved, there is a good chance two of the three title fights go the distance. With entrances, intro videos, and breaks between rounds, we’re looking at 45 to 60 minutes to pencil in per title fight. Will the promotion and the production team be able to keep the show on schedule?