Round 1- Melendez hits with a low leg kick as he tries to maintain center ring. Thomson and Melendez trade strikes and quickly go down then back up. Melendez trips up and Thomson jumps on top but cant do anything with the position. Thomson hits with a right hand but Melendez gives one back and hangs tough. Melendez hits with a combination and Thomson hits with a leg kick to the body. Melendez goes for a takedown but cant execute it. They both jockey for position for a few seconds before Melendez hits with a kick. Melendez hits with a left hand jab followed again by a leg kick from Thomson. Melendez tests Thomson with a right hand to the jaw. Thomson ends the first round with a couple of wild hooks to the face of Melendez. UNOFFICIAL SCORING – Melendez 10-9
Round 2- Melendez pushes a left jab to the face of Thomson and drops him with a hard right hand. He pressures Thomson with and causes him to slip and fall. After a wild exchange by both fighters, Melendez hits Thomson with a low blow. Referee, Josh Rosenthal gives Thomson five minutes to recover but they get back at it after only a minute. Thomson ducks under a wild punch and takes a kick to the body. Melendez clinches and Thomson grabs the head of his opponent. Melendez catches a kick and puts Thomson against the fence. Thomson reverses and breaks away from the clinch. Melendez catches the champ with a left hand jab. Thomspn hist with a body combination and stalks Melendez, who rocks Thomson with a right hand. The fight goes to the ground and Melendez ends up on top in Thomson’s guard. Thomson attempts to land an elbow while on the ground and Rosenthal reminds him that is illegal. UNOFFICIAL SCORING – Melendez 10-9
Round 3- A low leg kick starts it off for Thomson. Melendez puts a jab in the face of Thomson. Thomson missed with a spinning back kick. Melendez hits with a left hand jab. Thomson lands an overhand right answered with a right hand by Melendez. A body shot by Melendez loosens up Thomson, who comes after his opponent. Melendez keeps him away with a well times leg kick. They both fall to the ground but immediatly get back up to their feet. Thomson misses with a right hand but answers with a combination of punches. Melendez hits with a left jab and gets answered with a push kick by Thomson. Thomson puts Melendez up against the fence, however only for a moment as Melendez gets to the center of the cage. Melendez hits with a leg kick that puts Thomson on his heels as the bell sounds. UNOFFICIAL SCORING – Melendez 10-9
Round 4- Melendez puts the left jab in his face once again and mixes in a low leg kick. Thomson goes for a takedown and secures Melendez back but El Nino gets out. Thomson lands a right hand above the ear of Melendez. Thomson hits with a push kick but got hit with an uppercut. A hook and low leg kick is executed well by Melendez. Melendez misses with a hard overhand right. Thomson missed with his own right hand and then got tagged with a right hook by Melendez. Melendez got Thomson to the mat, but only for a second as Thomson scrambles to his feet. Thomson hit with a front kick and takes three punches by Melendez. They both land right hands and Thomson hurt Melendez with an uppercut. Melendez landed several unanswered punches and also lands an inadvertant poke to the eye of Thomson. The round had to conclude and it does, even though Thomson cant see well out of his eye. UNOFFICIAL SCORING – Thomson 10-9
Round 5- The championship round gets going and Thomson looks to have overcome the eye poke. Thomson hits with a light uppercut but angers Melendez who puts a left hand in his face. Melendez hit with a body shot and then a right hook. Thomson landed a combination and Melendez answers with his own combo. Thomson missed with a huge right hand but gets tagged with a Melendez right hand. A body punch by Melendez seems to have hurt Thomson. Melendez gets Thomson to the ground with a right hand and transitions to take the back of Thomson. As they get up Melendez gets nailed with a right hand. Thomson lands a right hand and an uppercut. They trade leg kicks and Melendez gets in another right hand. Thomson is tiring but gets Melendez to the ground. Melendez gets back to his feet and takes a knee up the middle. Melenedez hits with a right hook as Thomson swings wildly as the seconds tick away. They end up in an exchange with only five seconds remaining. The bell rings with both fighters raising their hands. UNOFFICIAL SCORING – Melendez 10-9 UNOFFICIAL DECISION – Melendez 49-46
OFFICIAL DECISION – Melendez over Thomson via unanimous decision (49-47, 49-46, 49-46)