Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida

The Breakdown: After losing the chance to avenge a loss to Josh Thomson and regain the Strikeforce lightweight strap, Melendez will have to settle for a chance to take up the interim title and avenge a loss to the first man to beat him, Mitsuhiro Ishida. The style clash remains the same between these two. Ishida’s superior wrestling and relentless onrush make him a tough match for Melendez, who doesn’t have the dominating striking or airtight takedown defense to force Ishida off his game.

Unless Melendez has something new to offer, a repeat of the takedown festival Ishida put on against him the first time around is looking more and more likely. Of course, you can’t discount Melendez, who innovated both the Death Valley driver takedown and hula-hoop defense. For all I know, Melendez is saving something even more absurd for this fight like the Van Damme splits or Chuck Norris chest hair of doom.

The X Factor: Ishida’s compact frame makes him virtually unstoppable on the mat. His short limbs are nearly impossible to get a hold of and his base is rock solid, but his dominance on the ground is matched only by his ineptitude on the feet. Those short limbs are a major liability when you’re trying to throw a counterpunch as Takanori Gomi so ruthlessly proved when he scored a vicious first round TKO over his countryman. Melendez is no Gomi, but if he can force Ishida to strike with him, he won’t need to match Gomi’s fistic firepower to turn this fight on its head.

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The Bottom Line: For the most part, Melendez is at his best when he can control opponents with his wrestling and he’s at his worst when he can’t. That will play heavily into the decision loss that’s awaiting him against Ishida, who will score takedown after takedown en route to a lopsided, albeit nap-inducing, judges’ nod. Let’s be real here: Only Chuck Norris can contain the awesomeness of the chest beard.