Strikeforce
Strikeforce Champ Gilbert Melendez still wants to be number one, but resigned to current spot for now
May 16, 2012 - 11:55:25 PM Strikeforce Champ Gilbert Melendez still wants to be number one, but resigned to current spot for now

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez is in a bit of a hold in his MMA career. While he's reigned supreme in that organization for a few years now, his status as one of the top fighters in the world at 155 lbs. is hampered by the fact that he's not facing the same level of competition as his contemporaries in the UFC.

Case in point, he's fighting Josh Thomson for a third time this Saturday night, a fighter who just returned in March after 15 months out of action, and he suffered a loss in that prior fight in 2010. Not only that, but Melendez defeated fairly handily by decision just two and a half years ago. Still, while Melendez has a burning desire to be proven the number one fighter in the weight class, he understands why he's where he is right now.

"The goal is to be number one and the only way to do that is in the UFC," Melendez said in an interview with BJPenn.com. "Right now it's going to be a hold off because I have some more fights on my contract, which means I will be in Strikeforce for probably at least another year. After this fight, there will have to be more for me. I'm prepared for that."

Melendez wasn't exactly clamoring for a rubber match with Thomson considering where the two are at in their respective careers, and indeed he campaigned for a bout with the UFC's B.J. Penn and Anthony Pettis. However, that wouldn't happen, and this is the fight he received. He'd certainly like to face a higher level of competition, but he knows once he's past this fight the pool of contenders will be fairly shallow in Strikeforce.

"I mean there's some guys coming up. I don't know if they can catch me because I'm ahead of the game and training twice a day," he said. "There are guys like Ryan Couture coming up who I'm impressed with. Pat Healy and Couture, I am really impressed with those guys. Other than that JZ [Cavalcante] and Thomson have been around for a while. I don't see too much talent coming this way because I think they are all headed to the UFC."

"There are some tough guys here and you definitely can't take them lightly. Thomson is no walk in the park. None of these guys are. I still don't see many guys out there. Ryan Couture did impress me with his last performance. He impressed me a lot and I think he's on to something. Besides those guys I mentioned everyone else is in the UFC."

Penick's Analysis: It's good to see Melendez take a realistic approach to his current situation. He's often complained about not being able to fight the guys at the top of the UFC, but those complaints fell on deaf ears due to the fact that he was the one that re-signed with Strikeforce early last year before Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa. The lack of currently elite level competition is a very real issue for him in Strikeforce, but it's something he just has to deal with and he's sounding more resigned to that fact for the time being. That places more pressure and importance on every fight for him going forward, though, as any loss to the fighters he'll be facing will send his stock down precipitously.