Thursday in the final press conference before Saturday's
STRIKEFORCE:
World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament Final when Josh
Barnett faces
Daniel Cormier, live on SHOWTIME(r) (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed
on the West
Coast) from the HP Pavilion.
The powerful Barnett (31-5), of Fullerton , Calif.
since 2006 and has submitted or knocked out six consecutive
opponents.
The undefeated Cormier (9-0), of San Jose , is one of the most talented
wrestlers in the heavyweight division and is a former star
for Oklahoma
Joining the pair Thursday were Gilbert Melendez (20-2), of
San
Francisco, and bitter rival Josh Thomson (19-4, 1 NC), of San Jose , who
will fight in a rubber match of their thrilling trilogy as
Melendez
looks to defend his STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight
Championship.
In other fights on SHOWTIME, Rafael Feijao takes on Mike
Kyle and
Nah-Shon Burrell battles Chris Spang. A four-fight
preliminary card
televised LIVE on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed
on the West
Coast) will precede the four-fight main card on
SHOWTIME.
Mauro Ranallo will call the action alongside analysts Frank
Shamrock and
Pat Miletich with Heidi Androl serving as cageside reporter.
The
executive producer is David Dinkins Jr.
What the principal fighters had to say on Thursday:
Josh Barnett:
On whether or not people are discounting his experience:
"I don't care what people say. I see my experience as
being the biggest
advantage in this fight. All that experience comes with all
the years of
training and all the fights I've had and all the different
opponents,
(basically) all the times I've been in the ring as a pro
wrestler, as a
fighter. Experience is a pretty easy word to throw around.
But I don't
think it's as simple to just say experience. I have to
believe
ultimately in everything I do and everything I possess. So
it's the same
as before and the same that it's always going to be."
Daniel Cormier:
On whether or not he feels like an underdog:
"Yeah I do. Honestly I do. Josh was a UFC champion and
he's done a ton
of things. He's beaten a lot of guys, but I've beaten quite
a few of
those guys too and I know I can do pretty well against the
other ones,
so I take it in stride. I should be the underdog because of
his
experience and his accomplishments, but I'll be ready to
go."
Gilbert Melendez:
"After that first fight Josh beat me up pretty good and
he helped me
reinvent myself as a fighter. Not only did I learn to take
the center
and be a smarter fighter, not get outpointed, but he helped
me learn to
take my job seriously. At the time I trained to do my stuff
and then
after that fight I treated everything like a real
professional. I
structure my training camps now. I train harder. I eat
smart. I write
everything out. I treat it like a real profession. It's my
career now.
And ever since that loss that's how it's been."
Josh Thomson:
"Not much has changed for me since the second fight.
Basically I'm just
following a different game plan. The second time I fought I
had to come
off a 15-month layoff so I was just excited to be back in
the cage.
Anyone who has seen me fight can tell by the smile on my
face that I
enjoy to fight. I love it. So not much has changed, but I'm
just going
to change my game plan."
About STRIKEFORCE(r) - www.strikeforce.com
Owned and operated by Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa,
LLC, which also
owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship(r) brand,
STRIKEFORCE(r) is a
world-class mixed martial arts promotion based in Las Vegas , Nev.
currently holds live events annually across the United States .
First
established as a mixed martial arts entity in 2006, STRIKEFORCE
now
broadcasts its events live on Showtime(r) Networks, Inc. and
has
produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television
Network. With
a growing roster featuring the world's elite competitors,
STRIKEFORCE
has cemented its place as a leader in providing quality
mixed martial
arts action.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
CBS
Corporation, owns and operates the premium television
networks
SHOWTIME(r), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) and FLIX(r), as well as
the multiplex
channels SHOWTIME 2(tm), SHOWTIME(r) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME
EXTREME(r),
SHOWTIME BEYOND(r), SHOWTIME NEXT(r), SHOWTIME WOMEN(r),
SHOWTIME FAMILY
ZONE(r) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) XTRA. SNI also offers
SHOWTIME HD(tm),
THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(r) and THE
MOVIE
CHANNEL(tm) ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian
Networks, a joint
venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which
offers
Smithsonian Channel(tm). All SNI feeds provide enhanced
sound using
Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and
entertainment
events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis
through
SHOWTIME PPV(r).
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