Cung Le, Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem have more in common than you may think. They’ve each been titleholders in Strikeforce, and all three are of great value to the MMA powerhouse the Ultimate Fighting Championship, because they all have been brought over to compete on the largest stage of the sport. While we certainly can’t blame the organization for making the best matchups they believe to be available, one deserving fighter is still left in the cold, when he deserves to be at the forefront of this list.
Gilbert Melendez has been a dynamo of destruction throughout his career. He holds notable wins over Josh Thompson, Clay Guida, Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. He’s ranked among the best lightweights in the division, but he’s stuck in a virtual limbo in Strikeforce. While Jorge Masvidal is the next opponent in line for Melendez, how much more excited would fight fans have been if Zuffa had announced that BJ Penn’s replacement opponent for UFC 137 would be Melendez? I know that would have sent me through the roof.
Even beyond Penn, imagine Melendez facing off with Benson Henderson, Melvin Guillard, or another big name fighter in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. Instead he’s “stuck” in Strikeforce watching other talent being poached to perform in the Octagon. One has to wonder exactly why he is still waiting for his chance to jump over, when fans have been clamoring for him to take on the top ranked lightweights since before Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa.
While “El Nino” will likely surge into the UFC in 2012, he should have been the first champion brought over to the organization. Imagine the response of the MMA media if Melendez was brought in for a challenge and staredown with the winner of Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard next month.
Masvidal can throw a serious monkeywrench into this entire scenario regarding the future of the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, but Melendez should overwhelm him the same way he has done other recent contenders. Gilbert seems to be on a mission to prove that he is the best in the world at 155 pounds, so the UFC should gladly oblige him, and give him the chance to succeed or fail under the bright lights of the Octagon.
