We all know Gilbert Melendez is a definitive top 5 lightweight though due to contracts and politics Melendez is stuck in Strikeforce for the next few years. Major bummer right? With the recent comments from Stephen Espinoza the current VP of Showtime Sports there is a small chance we might see Melendez fight a UFC fighter though he made it clear that while he has a contract with Strikeforce he will remain a Strikeforce fighter.
Melendez is aware of this and in a recent interview with Michael Mardones, Melendez comments on the politics keeping him in Strikeforce, “I am done calling people out. It is a bunch of politics and it sometimes seems like a waste of time. I don’t want to be barking over something I don’t have control of.” Melendez has been calling for match ups with the top brass at lightweight in the UFC for quite some time looking to validate his claim as best lightweight in the world. Many fans are behind him but realizing the situation Melendez looked to Eddie Alvarez as a comparable challenge, “He is one of the top lightweight’s when he is on his game.” Though Melendez realizes it makes more sense to have a match up with Pat Healy, who is a Strikeforce fighter and just notched a win over Mizuto Hirota at the last Strikeforce event, “I have been visualizing Healy. He is a Strikeforce fighter, so it makes sense,” says Melendez.
Well it is now official as we will see Melendez defend his title for the 5th time against Healy on September 29th in Sacramento. Melendez has already had the most defenses in Strikeforce history and looks to continue that but fans can only hope the MMA gods will grant Melendez a fair shake so he can jump ship over to the UFC sooner rather than later.
