The trilogy between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson was completed on Saturday night at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier.
After a hard-fought five rounds, Melendez came away with a very close split-decision victory (49-48, 48-49, 49-48) in a fight that most would agree could have gone either way.
Once the decision was read, Thomson’s body language expressed extreme dissatisfaction. It appeared he was gearing up to rip the judging. Thomson’s cooler head prevailed, and he had this to say inside the cage to Showtime commentator Mauro Ranallo (via Contra Costa Times):
One thing I want to say is please don’t boo Gilbert. He’s one of the best fighters if not the best in the world. Please, he’s a great fighter man. He knows I love him he’s a great fighter. If I’m going to lose to somebody I’m glad it’s him.
Ranallo also posed the idea of a fourth fight in which Thomson responded enthusiastically with,”Who wants to see a fourth fight!”
In comparison, this is how excited Melendez was about a proposed fourth fight: “Yeah, sure whatever.”
The two men put on a great fight, but it is time for “El Nino” to move on to the UFC. As classy as Thomson was in defeat, Melendez seemed equally as disinterested in continuing his career with Strikeforce.
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