Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion 9/29/2007

[NWOWolfpack]

Press release - Strikeforceusa.net

Former UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championship prodigy, Josh "The Punk" Thomson (34-2 (1 NC), will vie to extend his win streak to five consecutive bouts when he faces International Fight League (IFL) veteran, Adam Lynn (11-7 (1 No Contest), in a lightweight (155 lb. limit) contest during the Strikeforce mixed martial arts mega-event at The Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday, September 29th.

The 28-year-old Thomson's appearance, his second of 2007, will come three months after his flawless effort against fellow contender Nick "The Ghost" Gonzalez during Strikeforce's Shamrock vs. Baroni live SHOWTIME Pay Per View card. Thomson quickly took the fight with Gonzalez to the mat and, at the 1:42 mark of the first round, forced Gonzalez to tap out from a rear naked choke.

A former wrestler for NCAA Division I Stanford University, Thomson put together in 2006 what has been the finest 12 months of his seven-year professional prize-fighting career by taking out three adversaries on three different Strikeforce mixed martial arts cards. After choking out road warrior Harris Sarmiento in the third round of their June 9th matchup, Thomson needed only two rounds to stop K-1 Max and UFC veteran, Duane "Bang" Ludwig, with a rear naked choke during the first-ever mixed martial arts event at Fresno, California's Save Mart Center on October 7th. On December 8th, he dominated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist, Nam Phan, for the majority of three rounds at San Jose, California's HP Pavilion before earning a unanimous judges' decision.

Lynn, a 29-year-old native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, notched the 11th victory of his professional career during his last start by controlling Josh Odom on the ground at an IFL event in Chicago, Illinois on May 19th, a strategy that earned him the favor of all three judges scoring the three-round contest.

Lynn discovered his passion for combat after enlisting in The United States Marine Corps in 1998. While stationed in California, he was turned on to Judo by a member of his platoon and, soon after, became hooked on the fighting discipline. Following his fourth year of service with the military, Lynn set out to establish himself in the world of mixed martial arts. He began training at Chris Brennan's Next Generation gym and, five years later, ventured to New Mexico to learn from the expertise of coach Greg Jackson.

"I really like his fighters' style of fighting," said Lynn of the Jackson camp. "They're aggressive. They're good on the ground and I think that fits me. I really like the team atmosphere. The first day I came out here, he gave me a key to his school and I was family. It's a great group of guys, a very positive environment."

Thus far, Lynn has shown his best stuff in competition during back-to-back battles with Tetsuji Kato and Jason Medina, respectively. In particular, his January 10, 2004 meeting with Kato, a top ranked star in Japan's Shooto organization at the time, gained Lynn substantial recognition in the fight world.

"I wasn't supposed to win that fight," explained Lynn of the matchup with Kato that took place in Guam. "I was just a jobber they brought in and I ended up taking him to overtime and beating him."

The Strikeforce mixed martial arts fight card at the Playboy Mansion will be headlined by the return of two Strikeforce world champions in undefeated lightweight (155 lb. limit) king, "El Nino" Gilbert Melendez (12-0), and light heavyweight (205 lb. limit) crown holder, Bobby Southworth (13-4 (1 No Contest). Lightweight star, Josh "The Punk" Thomson (35-2-1), will also see action on the bill as will former WWE star and Tough Enough reality series winner, Daniel Puder (5-0).

In addition to the stellar mixed martial arts fight card, all Strikeforce At The Mansion guests will be treated to an array of amenities including a buffet style, gourmet dinner; top-shelf, open bar; and a wine tasting party featuring the spirits of several gold medal wineries. Various Playboy Playmates will be on hand to partake in all activities.

The event at the Playboy Mansion will be staged three months after the Strikeforce co-produced Shamrock vs. Baroni, extravaganza, the first mixed martial arts event to be distributed live on SHOWTIME PPV. Before a crowd of 10,850 at San Jose's HP Pavilion, former UFC middleweight champion and mixed martial arts legend, Frank Shamrock, became the first Strikeforce middleweight champion in history by choking out UFC and Pride veteran, "The New York Badass" Phil Baroni, in the second round of the star-studded fight card's main event on Friday, June 22nd.