More details on Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy cancellation
Who made the call?
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Update - 9/24/12, 10:17am/ET: Josh Thomson says he offered to fight Pat Healy:
I offered to fight Healy, 3 or 5 rnd fight. @bambamhealy is a champion, he woulda fought me to save the event an integrity of the sport.
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) September 24, 2012
@bambamhealy maybe we can make an interim title match between us for the Nov 3rd show. If your down, I'm down!
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) September 24, 2012
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According to WrestlingObserver.com, it was Showtime--not Zuffa--that made the call to cancel Saturday's Strikeforce event in Sacramento, after lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez was forced to pull out of his main event fight due to a training injury.
This was a Showtime call, as they said without the title fight, they were not going to air the show.
The show didn't have any other marquee matches, as Josh Thomson vs. Caros Fodor and Guto Inocente vs. Gian Villante were the next two bouts on the card.
Zuffa had two events scheduled for Saturday, with Fuel airing an afternoon show from Nottingham, England, and this show as the evening event on Showtime and Showtime Extreme.
It is unknown if Strikeforce approached Thomson to fill in for Melendez against Pat Healy in a non-title or interim title fight before Showtime decided not to air the show. Whether or not the fighters on the Sept. 29 card get compensated in some way also remains to be seen.
The hype for a very solid UFC on FUEL TV UK card will be overshadowed this week by yet another event cancellation.
Check out our interview with former UFC fighter and current Bellator welterweight Ben "Killa B" Saunders:
