Find tickets for Strikeforce: Evolution (Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez)

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Event – Strikeforce: Evolution

Time & Date – 5 pm, Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Venue – HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

Five fights are scheduled for Evolution’s main card. Le makes his return in the headlining middleweight bout against Smith, while Thomson and Melendez will vie for lightweight supremacy. Two other middleweight bouts alongside one heavyweight complete the card.

Can’t wait to see if Le still has what it takes after nearly two years away? Or maybe you’re waiting to see if Thomson can hold onto his belt? Well, here’s your chance to be there live!

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Currently there are 20 ticket listings starting at $50 per ticket for Strikeforce: Evolution. Click here to see what’s on sale now.

Here’s a closer look at the main card.

LE VS. SMITH

Le and Smith meet for the first time in Evolution’s main event. Le returns to the cage looking to re-establish himself as middleweight king, while Smith hopes to draw himself closer to a title shot.

37-year-old Cung Le began his MMA career in March of 2006 when he defeated Mike Altman via round one knockout at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie. His most recent bout headlined Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le on March 29th of last year where he came out wearing his first belt after a technical knockout win against Frank Shamrock. Le’s 6 wins include 3 knockouts and 3 technical knockouts. He has no losses thus far. Born in South Vietnam, Le fights out of California with a medley of styles including Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has a 17-0 professional kickboxing record and coaches his own team, and thanks his mom for enrolling him in Taekwondo at the early age of 10.

30-year-old Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith began his MMA career in June of 2001 when he defeated Ted Stamatelos via submission at IFC WC 13. His most recent bout took place at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6th of this year where he suffered a submission loss at the hands of Nick Diaz. Smith’s 16 wins include 6 knockouts, 7 technical knockouts, and 3 submissions; his 6 losses include 1 knockout, 1 technical knockout, 3 submissions, and 1 decision; and he shares 1 no contest with Robbie Lawler. Smith has attained one title, and defended once. Born in Nevada, Smith fights out of California with key experience in Muay Thai and wrestling. He spent time with the UFC and EliteXC before joining Strikeforce in ’08.

Will Le prove ready to take back his crown, or will Smith give him his first loss?

THOMSON VS. MELENDEZ

Thomson and Melendez meet for a title rematch in this lightweight unification bout. Thomson is the current champion while Melendez holds an interim belt, and both fighters are looking to walk away undisputed.

31-year-old Josh “The Punk” Thomson began his MMA career in January of 2001 when he defeated Jason Abajian via round one knockout at Bushido 1. His most recent bout took place at Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion II on September 20th of last year where he defeated Ashe Bowman via technical knockout. Thomson’s 16 wins include 2 knockouts, 2 technical knockouts, 8 submissions, and 4 decisions; his 2 losses include 1 knockout and 1 decision; and he shares 1 no contest with Norifumi Yamamoto. Thomson has attained two titles. Born in and fighting out of California, Thomson’s strengths include kickboxing and wrestling. He spent time with Pride FC, the WFA, and the UFC before joining Strikeforce in 2006.

27-year-old Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez began his MMA career in October of 2002 when he defeated Greg Quan via technical knockout at WEC 5. His most recent bout took place at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg on August 15th of this year where he defended his interim title with a technical knockout win against Mitsuhiro Ishida. Melendez’s 16 wins include 1 knockout, 9 technical knockouts, 1 submission, and 5 decisions, while his 2 losses have both been decisions. He has attained three titles, and defended twice. Born in and fighting out of California, Melendez excels in wrestling. He spent time with the WEC and Pride FC before joining Strikeforce in 2006.

Will Thomson keep the belt, or will Melendez take it back?

SOUZA VS. LINDLAND

Souza and Lindland meet for the first time in this middleweight bout. Souza is working toward his first title fight, while Lindland hopes to reach his second.

29-year-old Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza began his MMA career in September of 2003 when he was put to sleep by Jorge Patino at Jungle Fight 1. His most recent bout took place at Dream 9 on May 26th of this year where a cut from an illegal kick forced the battle to end early. Souza’s 10 wins include 9 submissions and 1 decision; his 2 losses have both come from knockouts; and he shares 1 no contest with Jason Miller. Born in and fighting out of Brazil, Souza started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 17 and has earned his black belt. He does extremely well in submission wrestling.

39-year-old Matt “The Law” Lindland began his MMA career in February of 1997 when he defeated Karo Davtyan via technical knockout at WFF. His most recent bout took place at Affliction: Day of Reckoning on January 24th of this year where he was knocked out by Vitor Belfort in the first round. Lindland’s 21 wins include 7 technical knockouts, 7 submissions, 6 decisions, and 1 disqualification, while his 6 losses include 2 knockouts, 1 technical knockout, 2 submissions, and 1 decision. Born in and fighting out of Oregon, Lindland started wrestling at 15 and has an Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman.

Will Souza continue the climb to his first title fight, or will Lindland drop him down a few rungs?

LAWLER VS. PRANGLEY

Lawler and Prangley meet for the first time in this middleweight bout. Lawler’s eyes are set on a fourth title, while Prangley is glimpsing his third.

27-year-old Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler began his MMA career in April of 2001 when he defeated John Reed via technical knockout at EC 39. His most recent bout headlined Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6th of this year where he was defeated by Jake Shields via round one submission. Lawler’s 16 wins include 5 knockouts, 8 technical knockouts, 1 submission, and 2 decisions; his 5 losses include 1 knockout and 4 submissions; and he shares 1 no contest with Scott Smith. Lawler has attained three titles, and defended twice. Born in California and fighting out of Illinois, Lawler’s strengths include boxing and submission wrestling.

37-year-old Trevor Prangley began his MMA career in January of 2001 when he defeated Joe Garcia via submission at Bushido 1. His most recent bout took place at SF 7 on November 28th of this year where he forced a submission out of Marcus Sursa in the first round. Prangley’s 22 wins include 2 knockouts, 2 technical knockouts, 9 submissions, and 9 decisions, while his 5 losses include 1 knockout, 1 submission, and 3 decisions. He has attained 2 titles. Born in South Africa and fighting out of Idaho, Prangley excels in wrestling.

Will Lawler’s boxing skills earn him another knockout, or will Prangley win his sixth straight?

LAWAL VS. WHITEHEAD

Lawal and Whitehead meet for the first time in this heavyweight bout. Lawal is on track for an early title opportunity, while Whitehead’s longer career hopes to get noticed.

28-year-old Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal began his MMA career in September of last year when he defeated Travis Wiuff via technical knockout at Sengoku 5. His most recent bout took place at M-1 Global: Breakthrough on August 28th of this year where he earned another technical knockout win fighting against Mark Kerr. Lawal’s 5 wins include 4 technical knockouts and 1 decision. He has no losses thus far. Born in Tennessee and fighting out of California, Lawal earned multiple honors in collegiate wrestling. He has fought at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, and Strikeforce will be his third promotion.

28-year-old Mike “Iron” Whitehead began his MMA career in March of 2001 when he defeated Kim Bower via technical knockout at GVT. His most recent bout was at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6th of this year where he defeated Kevin Randleman via decision. Whitehead’s 24 wins include 5 technical knockouts, 13 submissions, 5 decisions, and 1 forfeit, while his 6 losses include 3 technical knockouts and 3 decisions. Born in Oregon, Whitehead fights out of Nevada with key experience in wrestling and boxing. He has fought at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, and for several promotions.

Will Lawal continue undefeated, or will Whitehead be his first obstacle?

Along with the talent found on Evolution’s main card, five action-packed openers are in the works for the preliminary card: one light heavyweight, three lightweights, and one featherweight.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Scott “Lights Out” Lighty vs. Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt

LIGHTWEIGHT

Daisuke Nakamura vs. Bryan Travers

Alexander Trevino vs. Bobby Stack

Alexander Crispim vs. A.J. Fonseca

FEATHERWEIGHT

Luis Mendoza vs. Juan Nunez

The HP Pavilion invites you to witness the back-to-back battles. Will you be there?

Click here to find tickets for Strikeforce: Evolution!

Sources: http://wikipedia.org/, http://www.sherdog.com/, and http://www.strikeforce.com/.