Quintet Ultra: Team Strikeforce set out to be the ‘best looking team,’ make Mark Munoz gas

Thursday night at Quintet Ultra, five of Strikeforce’s most notable veterans will compete against teams representing the UFC, WEC and PRIDE.

LAS VEGAS – Strikeforce is back. Well, sort of.

Thursday night at Quintet Ultra, five of Strikeforce’s most notable veterans will compete against teams representing the UFC, WEC and PRIDE.

The openweight elimination challenge takes place at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Strikeforce’s team is comprised of lightweight champ (and team captain) [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag], welterweight champ [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag], light heavyweight champ [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag], light heavyweight champ [autotag]Renato Sobral[/autotag] and lightweight [autotag]Gesias Cavalcante[/autotag].

Wednesday, the five Strikeforce alumni reunited for a media scrum with MMA Junkie. The Strikeforce group of five fighters declared themselves the “best looking team,” joked about having to go up against Team WEC’s [autotag]Mark Munoz[/autotag], and reminisced on how far they’ve come.

The tournament will first pair Strikeforce up with WEC. In the opening round, Cavalcante will face off with former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes.

Roster orders are selected by each team behind closed doors and submitted simultaneously. Not knowing the orders of other quintets, each team will have to stick to its order if members of its team get eliminated.

In addition to the team competition, Quintet Ultra will feature singles matches. Gordon Ryan meets Aleksei Oleinik, while Cynthia Calvillo – who replaces a previously announced Pearl Gonzalez – takes on Danielle Kelly. A prelims single match between Craig Jones and Fredson Paixao also is set.

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Quintet Ultra lineups set, include Sean O’Malley vs. Takanori Gomi, Chad Mendes vs. ‘JZ’ Cavalcante

The lineups are set for Thursday’s Quintet Ultra team grappling event, and the opening matchups include a few intriguing contests.

Weigh-ins for the event took place Wednesday at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas, with each five-member team expected to weigh-in under 950 pounds combined. That didn’t prove an issue, with Team WEC registering 947.2 pounds, Team Strikeforce just behind at 946.6 pounds, Team UFC at 942.2 pounds and Team PRIDE the smallest at 936.6 pounds.

Featuring a unique 5-on-5 team grappling concept where the winning grappler of each match stays on the mat, Quintet Ultra takes place Thursday at the same venue and streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

In the opening round of the tournament, Team UFC takes on Team PRIDE, while Team WEC vs. Team Strikeforce.

Team UFC will send out fast-rising bantamweight prospect [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] as their first representative, while Team PRIDE counters with former PRIDE lightweight champ [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag].

On the other side of the bracket, Team WEC is starting with three-time UFC title challenger [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], while Team Strikeforce opens with two-time K-1 HERO’s middleweight grand prix champion and former Titan FC lightweight champ [autotag]Gesias Cavalcante[/autotag], the man best known as “JZ.”

In each match, the winning grappler stays on to take on the next representative from the opposing team. In case of a draw, both fighters are eliminated.

The two winning teams from the opening round matchups meet in the finals to close out the night.

Full team orders include:

TEAM UFC

1. Sean O’Malley
2. [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (captain)
5. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]

vs.

TEAM PRIDE

1. Takanori Gomi
2. [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Gregor Gracie[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Yves Edwards[/autotag]
5. [autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag] (captain)

TEAM WEC

1. Chad Mendes (captain)
2. [autotag]Mark Munoz[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]
5. [autotag]James Krause[/autotag]

vs.

TEAM STRIKEFORCE

1. Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante
2. [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] (captain)
5. [autotag]Renato Sobral[/autotag]

Quintet Ultra: Full UFC, PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce rosters revealed ahead of Thursday’s event

UFC vs. PRIDE vs. WEC vs. Strikeforce? The full rosters have been announced for Thursday’s event.

Who would have won a team battle between the UFC, PRIDE, WEC, and Strikeforce? Quintet is hopping in a time machine to take fans back to an era when this question could be answered.

On Thursday, one of the world’s most unique grappling tournaments will return with Quintet Ultra. The openweight elimination challenge takes place at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

The event will see four teams compromised of five fighters – each team tied to a respective promotion. On Monday, full rosters and first-round team pairings were announced, with Team UFC taking on Team PRIDE and Team WEC vs. Team Strikeforce.

The teams are as follows:

Team UFC

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (captain): former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, current UFC light heavyweight contender, WSOF veteran
[autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]: former UFC light heavyweight title challenger
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: Dana White’s Contender Series signee, undefeated UFC bantamweight
[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: 29-fight UFC veteran, current UFC lightweight
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: current UFC lightweight/welterweight, second-degree black belt

Team PRIDE

[autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag] (captain): UFC Hall of Famer, competed in 27 fights under the PRIDE banner, UFC Japan heavyweight tournament winner
[autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag]: PRIDE lightweight champion, Pride 2005 lightweight grand prix winner, UFC veteran
[autotag]Gregor Gracie[/autotag]: grappling world champion, ONE FC veteran, member of the storied Gracie family
[autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]: former Bellator middleweight champion, Bellator Season 1 middleweight tournament winner, international judo federation gold medalist
[autotag]Yves Edwards[/autotag]: three-time PRIDE competitor, UFC and Strikeforce veteran, current PFL commentator

Team WEC

[autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (captain): two-time UFC featherweight title challenger, most knockouts in UFC featherweight history (tied with Conor McGregor), two-time NCAA Division 1 All American
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, current UFC light heavyweight contender, most submission victories in UFC light heavyweight history (tied with Jon Jones)
[autotag]Mark Munoz[/autotag]: two-time WEC competitor, 15-time UFC competitor, two-time NCAA division 1 All American
[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: former UFC featherweight title challenger, former WEC title challenger, 11-time UFC/WEC bonus winner
[autotag]James Krause[/autotag]: two-time WEC competitor, current UFC welterweight, currently riding a six-fight win streak

Team Strikeforce

[autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag]: WEC lightweight champion, Strikeforce lightweight champion, UFC lightweight title challenger
[autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]: Strikeforce middleweight champion, Elite XC welterweight champion, former UFC welterweight title challenger
[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]: Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Bellator 2013 “Summer Series” light heavyweight tournament champion, Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament finalist
[autotag]Gesias Cavalcante[/autotag]: two-time K-1 HERO’s middleweight grand prix champion, former Titan FC lightweight champion
[autotag]Renato Sobral[/autotag]: Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger

In addition to the team competition, Quintet Ultra will feature singles matches. [autotag]Gordon Ryan[/autotag] meets [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], while Cynthia Calvillo takes on [autotag]Danielle Kelly[/autotag]. A prelims single match between [autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Fredson Paixio[/autotag] also is set.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3003: On Shevchenko vs. Chookagian, Adesanya-Costa feud, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news and notes, from fights booked to feuds ramping up.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,002 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes.

The rundown

UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] has her next title defense lined up, and it’ll happen against [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston. We offer our thoughts on the matchup and ponder Shevchenko’s status as one of the all-time great female fighters.
Did you see that [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] is set to fight … [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]? Latifi recently announced his move up to heavyweight from light heavyweight, and that’s one hell of an introduction to the division.
Question: Would [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] have a better shot in a rematch with UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] than Alexander Gustafsson did his second time around? We discuss.
Good news: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is on schedule with his recovery to return soon. Bad news: We still have no idea which UFC title he’ll defend first – flyweight or bantamweight. Whose decision is it, and what will ultimately be decided?
[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] ranted about UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] this week and called him a “p***y African.” That … might be racist?
A potential fight between [autotag]Jason Knight[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulie Malignaggi[/autotag] in either boxing or bare knuckle: Is that something we want to see?
[autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] wants to run it back with [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] for a fourth time, and lobbies for Bellator to make it happen. Are we into it?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Josh Thomson pitches Gilbert Melendez tetralogy in Bellator to resolve ‘unsettled business’

Josh Thomson is open to adding another chapter to one of the most notable rivalries in MMA history.

[autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] is open to adding another chapter to one of the most notable rivalries in MMA history.

Thomson (22-9) has set his sights on a fourth showdown with longtime counterpart [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] (22-8) after the one-time UFC title challenger was recently released from the UFC to become a free agent.

Thomson and Melendez had an epic trilogy under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner, going the distance in five-round championship contests in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Melendez ultimately came out ahead 2-1 in the series, but the third bout was hotly contested, ending in a split decision for “El Nino.”

It’s been more than seven years since they shared the cage, but Thomson is still left with a bad taste in his mouth.

“This would not be like a money fight. This would be more of a situation where the two of us feel like there’s unsettled business,” Thomson said on his YouTube page. “I won the first fight hands down, convincing. He won the second fight, hands down, convincingly. The third fight was a split decision loss. It was very controversial. As he was leaving the cage, people were booing. People were throwing things.

“As we walked down the tunnel (backstage) – I felt this was extremely inappropriate – people started spitting at them as they were leaving the arena. If you go back and watch that fight, I obviously felt like I won; he obviously felt like he won.”

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Although Thomson has not competed in nearly two years, and Melendez is on a five-fight skid, Thomson said he views the tetralogy as logical – so long as fans want to see it.

Thomson said he still has fights remaining on his Bellator contract, so if the matchup did materialize, Melendez would have to join the promotion and reunite with former Strikeforce boss Scott Coker, which seems plausible.

At 41, Thomson knows he and Melendez, 37, aren’t the fiery youngsters they were when they first met in the cage more than a decade ago. That doesn’t mean they still don’t have reason to fight, though, and Thomson in particular feels compelled to punch Melendez in the face.

“We spent 75 minutes in the cage,” Thomson said. “Every time it was for the title. This time it’s not for the title. This time is a three-round fight. Bellator doesn’t do five-round main event fights. This is a good opportunity for the two of us. We know that we’re not what we used to be. There’s no doubt about that. There’s no denying that. But we both feel like there’s unsettled business.”

MMA Junkie Radio #3001: Nick Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, Carlos Condit, UFC Sao Paulo, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news, including Nick Diaz’s possible return, Jorge Masvidal’s rise and more.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,001 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes, as well as look ahead to UFC on ESPN+ 22 this weekend in Sao Paulo.

The rundown

Could [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] actually happen, or should Diaz be fighting at all?
Just how big of a star is “Gamebred” right now?
[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] wanted to collect belts from around the world, but even he didn’t anticipate this.
Women’s MMA pioneer [autotag]Tara LaRosa[/autotag] is back in the news, but it’s in a very odd way.
[autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] no longer in the UFC
[autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] out at UFC on ESPN 7; who should Mickey Gall face?
UFC Sao Paulo breakdown.

UFC releases former lightweight title challenger Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert Melendez is no longer a member of the UFC roster.

[autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] is no longer a member of the UFC roster.

Melendez (22-8 MMA, 1-6 UFC) was released from the promotion following five straight losses. The 37-year-old Melendez confirmed his release with ESPN on Monday night after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

A former Strikeforce lightweight champion, Melendez ran through most of his opposition in the well-regarded promotion. Melendez’s key wins in Strikeforce include Jorge Masvidal, Josh Thomson (twice), Shinya Aoki, and Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Upon the UFC’s purchase and subsequent absorbance of Strikeforce, Melendez was added to the roster. Holding the Strikeforce title at the time, Melendez was granted an immediate title shot at then-lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

In the five-round main event of UFC on FOX 7 in April 2013, Melendez lost a split decision to Henderson. The defeat was highly controversial among MMA fans and media alike.

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In his return to the cage at UFC 166 in October 2013, Melendez and Diego Sanchez engaged in an instant classic. A spirited 15 minutes turned in by the two men resulted in a fight many MMA observers believe to be one of the most exciting in the promotion’s history.

After he picked up his first UFC victory, Melendez earned a second crack at the 155-pound title – this time against then-champ Anthony Pettis in December 2014 at UFC 181. Melendez lost the bout by second-round submission due to guillotine choke.

From 2015-19, Melendez competed four times. In that span, Melendez dropped decisions to Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza, Jeremy Stephens, and most recently Arnold Allen at UFC 239 in July.

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Quintet’s Vegas card features Gilbert Melendez, ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Chad Mendes, more

A whole host of familiar faces will take to the mats when Quintet hits Las Vegas on UFC 245 fight week.

The UFC’s final pay-per-view card of 2019 is a suitably festive event, as UFC 245 on Dec. 14 features a stacked card with three title fights.

It will be a big enough week leading up to the show at T-Mobile Arena that other events of note are being planned for fight week in Las Vegas.

One of those is Quintet Ultra, a grappling show which will be held at Red Rock Casino on Dec. 12.

The 5-on-5 team grappling event, founded by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag], often features big-name mixed martial artists, and this card is no exception.

The company has announced the captains and a member of each of the four teams participating in the card. Team UFC will be lead by [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] and include [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]. Team PRIDE is anchored by Sakuraba and will include former champion [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag]. Team Strikeforce features a pair of former champions in [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]. And captaining Team WEC is [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], and includes [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag].

Additionally, a super fight will be held between Gordon Ryan and one of the UFC’s finest heavyweight grapplers, the master of the Ezekiel choke, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag].

More details on participating grapplers and team rosters will be revealed in the weeks to come. The card will stream live at 10 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.

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