In the co-main event for Strikeforce: Nashville, Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez defends his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship against the legendary Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki.

Aoki (23 wins, 4 losses) will be fighting for the first in the USA and outside Japanese soil. His nickname means “master of flying submissions” as of his 23 wins, 14 were by way of submission. He is a current and former champion of various MMA organizations in the lightweight and middleweight divisions. Such is his pedigree that even though he fights exclusively in Japan, Aoki is currently ranked as the #2 Lightweight and #7 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog.

Due to his stature as one of the top-ranked lightweight MMA fighters in the world, he is immediately given a shot at the Strikeforce lightweight championship title currently held by Gilbert Melendez who will be defending it for the first time.

Melendez (17 wins, 2 losses) regained the Strikeforce lightweight championship belt against Josh Thomson last December 2009. Previously, he held the title for almost 2 years since June 2006 before losing it in June 2008.

Watch Strikeforce: Nashville LIVE stream FREE on Saturday, April 17, 2010 – 9 PM ET/6 PM PT / 2AM BST at the Bridgestone Arena (formerly known as Sommet Center) in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

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Watch the Gilbert Melendez vs Shinya Aoki video below:

to be provided once available

You can also watch the following Strikeforce: Nashville matchups once available:

Jake Shields vs Dan Henderson video
Gegard Mousasi vs Muhammed Lawal video

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Tags: gilbert melendez, shinya aoki, strikeforce