November 7, 2006; New York, NY….Eight years after their initial confrontation, middleweight (185 lb. limit) brawlers, Eugene “The Wolf” Jackson, and Ronald “The Machine Gun” Jhun, will revisit the past when they square off with one another during Strikeforce’s “Triple Threat” world championship mixed martial arts fight card being presented by BodogFIGHT at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on Friday, December 8th.
“I think there’s gonna be fireworks,” said Jhun. The 36-year-old from Honolulu, Hawaii is looking for payback after Jackson submitted him with a forearm choke hold in the first round of their meeting on August 4, 1998. “Eugene likes to stand and bang and I’m the same. I don’t like to play it safe. I always like to come out and put everything on the line and try to get a knockout, if I can. I just react and, whatever happens, happens.”
Jhun, who had only a single previous fight under his belt when he faced Jackson the first time around, has since amassed over 40 career mixed martial arts appearances. Along the way, he has notched victories over Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, as well as octagon veterans, “Mr. International” Shonie Carter, and Pete Spratt.
On Friday, March 10th, Jackson, a 40 year old resident of East Palo Alto, California, ended a two and a half year hiatus from competition when he faced Mexico’s Jorge “The Naked Man” Ortiz during Strikeforce’s historic, first-ever mixed martial arts fight card that was staged at the HP Pavilion. Jackson asserted himself in the first round and coasted to an easy, three-round unanimous judges’ decision win.
Three months later, Jackson returned to the cage at the HP Pavilion for a meeting with Mike Seal. After surviving Seal’s ambitious offensive in the early going, Jackson staged a dramatic comeback, pounding his opponent into submission while inside Seal’s guard in the second stanza.
“I know he’s on a comeback trail, but I’m also trying to get my name back out there and trying to make it known that I’m still one of the top guys out there,” commented Jhun. “I ain’t left yet. I still got some fire left in me.”
Like his opponent, Jhun has been busy of late, his most recent effort a K-1 rules contest at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena last Saturday. Jhun scored two knockdowns on his opponent before earning a win by way of unanimous decision.
Tickets for Strikeforce “Triple Threat” are on sale at Ticketmaster (408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070). Tickets are priced at $200.00, $150.00, $100.00, $75.00, $50.00, and $40.00, and $30.00.
The December 8th card will feature Strikeforce’s first-ever 205 pound light heavyweight championship bout. Bobby Southworth, a veteran of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, will face off with hard-hitting road warrior and K-1 and Pride Fighting Championship veteran, Vernon “Tiger” White, for the vacant crown.
Making his third-career mixed martial arts start, undefeated world San Shou kickboxing champion, Cung Le, will face his toughest test to date in Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue, a contestant on season two of The Ultimate Fighter.
Strikeforce’s 155 pound lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, will likewise attempt to extend his perfect record to 14-0 when the San Francisco, California native mixes it up with an opponent that has yet to be named.
Another lightweight sensation, Josh “The Punk” Thomson, will also top the bill. On October 7th, the 28-year-old former NCAA Division I wrestler put forth what was arguably his strongest effort to date when he controlled world Muay Thai champion and K-1 Max contender, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, for over a round before finding an opportunity to force Ludwig into submission with a guillotine choke hold.
Unbeaten submission wrestling stylist and former World Wrestling Entertainment “Tough Enough” reality show winner, Daniel Puder, will make his fourth career mixed martial arts appearance during “Triple Threat.”
The Strikeforce mixed martial arts event is being produced by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVS&E, www.svse.net), a leading producer of major sporting and entertainment events and the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s largest entertainment venue, HP Pavilion. SVS&E’s many properties include “Fight Night at the Tank” professional boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and the annual ATP men’s professional tennis “SAP Open” event.
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that, on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.