HOUSTON, TX, September 20, 2011 – As if UFC 135 on PPV and Titan 20 on HDNet weren’t enough to give you your required dose of MMA this coming weekend, we’ve got some hometown heroes fighting on national TV also when Todd Moore and Brian Melancon take the stage on SHOWTIME this Friday night.
Before you tune in to watch Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Josh Koscheck, and crew, make sure to pay close attention to these guys as they look to continue their ascent up the national food chain of MMA.
Here’s the skinny on their upcoming fights this Friday night at Strikeforce Challengers 19.
The “Maniac” Looks to Continue Win Streak Against UFC/Dream Vet Jason High
Debuting in Strikeforce with a win against fellow Houstonian Mike Bronzoulis this past June, the “Maniac” from Magnolia is riding a two-fight win streak and has won four out of his last five bout since losing to Shinya Aoki was back on the Dream 6 Middleweight Grand Prix Finals card back in September of ‘08.
Looking ahead to this Friday, Todd will be taking on his most pedigreed opponent since that fght in Japan with Shinya Aoki.
Known as “The Kansas City Bandit,” Jason High is a Dream veteran himself and has also fought under the bright lights of the UFC octagon in addition to Strikeforce. He’s already riding a five-fight win streak that includes names like Jordan Mein and Hayato Sakurai.
Truth be told, Todd will walk into the Strikeforce cage as the underdog in this fight. Despite that fact, he’s probably looking at it as just another chance to prove his worth and that of fighters from Texas, just like he’s been doing since his high school days.
“When wrestling in high school all you’d hear from coaches and parents that wrestled was that Texas wrestlers couldn’t compare to the guys from up north. So that’s when I took it upon myself to not be ashamed that I didn’t grow up from up north to wrestle, that I was a proud Texan and that Texas competitors can hang with anybody.”
Maintaining that attitude, he’ll be showing up in Vegas carrying the Texas flag and not just looking to hang with Jason High, but win against him in true Texas fashion.
“I feel my prime is right now and will be so for a few more years,” he told us recently. “I can’t be satisfied with my current resume. I’m hungry. You can damn well rest assured knowing that I am going to make the absolute most out of this next fight. You’re going to get my absolute best.”
Brian Melancon also on the Card Versus Undefeated Brazilian Felipe Portela
Paradigm’s Brian Melancon will also be fighting on the Strikeforce Challengers 19 card in his second fight for the promotion since June’s Strikeforce Grand Prix undercard out in Dallas.
Taking that fight against Jackson’s MMA fighter Isaac Vallie-Flagg on less than a week’s notice in that fight, Brian struggled mightily in cutting weight and throwing together for a game plan for that fight but fought admirably, only to be robbed of a split decision in a judges’ call many consider to be a Texas-sized robbery.
Armed with that knowledge and with a full training camp behind him, Melancon will surely be looking to make a statement against his next opponent – Felipe Portela, an undefeated fighter with 7 wins and 0 losses.
Ending five out of his seven victories by way of submission, Felipe will surely try to make it his subs versus Brian’s fists in this fight, scheduled to be the opening bout of the night.
Tune in to Showtime this Friday, September 23rd, at 10PM Texas Time to watch both Brian Melancon and Todd Moore in action as they look to represent Texas on this card.
Stikeforce 19 – Main Card (Showtime)
► Light Heavyweight bout: Lorenz Larkin vs Nick Rossborough
► Lightweight bout: Ryan Couture vs Maka Watson
► Heavyweight bout: Lavar Johnson vs Shawn Jordan
► Welterweight bout: Jason High vs Todd Moore
► Welterweight bout: Brian Melancon vs Felipe Portela
Stikeforce 19 – Preliminary Card (Untelevised)
► Lightweight bout: James Terry vs Magno Almeida
► Lightweight bout: Bobby Green vs Charon Spain
► Welterweight bout: Joe Ray vs Chris Spång
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