Strikeforce
Gilbert Melendez out of final Strikeforce event in January with lingering shoulder injury
Nov 16, 2012 - 8:00:32 PM Gilbert Melendez out of final Strikeforce event in January with lingering shoulder injury

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

It looks like Gilbert Melendez will not fight for a final time inside the Strikeforce cage this January. UFC President Dana White commented during a fan chat with the Montreal Gazette on Friday that he had heard Melendez was still hurt, and now Tatame.com reports that he's out of his announced fight against Pat Healy on January 12.

Word of his removal comes from his trainer, Cesar Gracie, who told Tatame that doctors have not cleared him to fight.

"They have not made official, but Gilbert is not training hard. I think he never recovered from the shoulder injury and will not be able to fight in January," Gracie said. "He had a doctor's appointment this week and the doctor said that he will not be able to fight."

The January 12 event is now down to two title fights for the Oklahoma City card on Showtime, which will serve as the final event in Strikeforce history.

Penick's Analysis: This isn't surprising. Why rush back to a title fight on Showtime when a UFC debut is just around the corner? Melendez is going to heal up, and he'll be back with a chance to get in the mix in one of the deepest divisions in the sport. With Eddie Alvarez potentially coming to the UFC in early 2013 as well, there's a very realistic possibility we see the two best lightweights from out of the UFC make their debuts against one another.