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| Gilbert Melendez, left, will try to defeat Jorge Masvidal on Dec. 17th, before making a leap to the UFC's lightweight division. |
In March of this year, when ZUFFA purchased Strikeforce,
rumors started swirling as to which Strikeforce fighters would make the jump to
the UFC. So far the likes of Nick Diaz, Alistair Overeem and, most recently,
Fabricio Werdum have made the transition. There is one very notable fighter
that has yet to take that leap.
Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez is
considered one of the best fighters in his division and he’s the #1 ranked
pound-for-pound fighter in Northern California. Yet, he still has not fought in
the UFC. Many assume his time will come and that time will most likely come
after his fight this Saturday night against Jorge Masvidal.
But, ask the champ if he’s focused on making a leap to the
UFC and you’ll be surprised by the answer. Melendez knows that to become the
best lightweight in the world, he must fight in the UFC but that does not mean
he is overlooking Masvidal.
Melendez, 19-2, 11 (T)KOs, has been training like he has
everything to lose, which he realistically does. Defeating Masvidal, who is
22-6 with 10(T)KOs, will punch Melendez’s ticket to the UFC and set up a
possible title unification bout in 2012 with either Frankie Edgar of Benson
Henderson. A loss could possibly keep him in Strikeforce.
For those questioning ‘why?’,
simply put, a champion vs. champion bout is a lot more attractive to a
promotion than just about any other bout. Fans can expect to see both men
giving it their all in this bout. Melendez will be looking to notch one last
dominant victory in Strikeforce and Masvidal will be looking to put to rest any
notion that he is a mere stop-gap in Melendez’s path to the UFC.
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