“This fight with Gilbert has been a long time coming and we’re ready to do it,” said Thomson, a resident of San Jose. “It’s not as if we need a feeling out period. We both know each other very well. We’ve trained together, we’ve sparred together. We’re gonna come out ready for five rounds, but we’re gonna bang it out.”

Regarding the condition of his shoulder, Thomson is optimistic. “As we’re training, it’s getting stronger so we’re just taking it one day at a time,” he stated.

Prior to joining the ranks of Strikeforce, Thomson, a member of San Jose’s Team AKA, established a reputation for being one of the sport’s most gifted athletes. A pair of victories in The UFC, including a majority judges’ decision over Hermes Franca four years ago, and a win in PRIDE are amongst the feats that have helped him achieve stardom.

During “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” the first-ever SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event on June 22, 2007, Thomson reintroduced himself to a national audience, submitting Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez with a rear naked choke at the 1:42 mark of the fight’s first round.

HP Pavilion doors will open at 6 PM for “Melendez vs. Thomson” and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30 PM. The main card will commence at 8 PM.