For all the excitement and hype over the main event of this Saturday’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley event, the co-main event bout is somewhat unfairly flying under the radar. Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will put his title on the line against the eighth ranked lightweight in the world Tatsuya Kawajiri. This is not the first time the two met though. Kawajiri and Melendez did battle for the first time in one of the great overlooked PRIDE bouts, meeting at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. If the first fight is any indication, the rematch is going to be must-see stuff.
Both men came out at the opening bell throwing winging punches with bad intentions with Kawajiri moving Melendez back with a right hand. Melendez was able to land a mean right of his own seconds later before he got dropped with a shot from “Crusher.” As Kawajiri pounced he landed knees to the head of the turtled Melendez as Gilbert struggled to his feet.
Melendez would receive a yellow card for grabbing the ropes to prevent a takedown and once action resumed he landed a series of hard right straights that forced Tatsuya to work hard for a takedown that he was eventually able to secure but found himself unable to stay on top as his foe bounced back to his feet.
The two men continued to battle in heated striking exchanges with both landing with power as well in between periods of struggling for takedowns. With under two minutes left in the round Melendez landed a short right hand followed by a one-two that dropped Kawajiri only to have Crusher get on top on the ground and take his back in the scramble that followed. But he was too high and Melendez escaped back to standing only to eat a left hook for his trouble moments later.
Round two was no different as there was an immediate exchange of power punches before Melendez attempted to keep Kawajiri on the end of his jab and straight right. Crusher would find his way inside and land his wide power hooks. As the fight again hit the mat (this time after a Crusher takedown) Melendez was able to regain his feet again before getting tagged in a punching exchange.
The final two minutes of the fight saw both men throw everything they had at each other. Melendez would tag Kawajiri before getting tagged in return. Then Kawajiri would land a hook that forced Melendez back a step before a short left hook from Melendez would stun him in return.
As the final bell run the two men embraced and both appeared winded but still in good shape considering the war they had just been involved in. All three judges would see the fight for Melendez but it was the kind of fight that legitimizes both men.
For Melendez, it’s almost a must-win bout. He has managed to remain in the top 5 of the lightweight rankings for a long time, climbing as high as #2 in the world. With the Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce, Melendez is poised to compete with the other best lightweights in the world as long as he can get through a very stiff test in Kawajiri.