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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
When the UFC purchased Strikeforce earlier this year, the initial company line was that they were not going to simply poach the competing organization of talent, and would have it run "business as usual." However, since then, three separate Strikeforce Champions have already been moved to the organization in Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem.
Add Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez to the mix.
UFC President Dana White revealed on Saturday night that the UFC is looking to bring Melendez into the organization, and soon.
"Yeah, we do want to bring Gilbert Melendez over, and we're looking at it right now," White said at the UFC on Versus 6 post-fight press conference. "We're looking to bring Gilbert Melendez over ASAP."
Melendez has been reportedly scheduled to meet Jorge Masvidal at a Strikeforce event in December, but with White saying Melendez could potentially be brought in for an immediate title fight, it's not known whether that fight will happen or not.
"[An immediate title shot] is a possibility," White said. "The thing is with that division, it's so stacked, there are a lot of possibilities. We'll see what happens with the timing."
Penick's Analysis: It's fairly obvious to see that Strikeforce as it once was is dead. If the name is kept alive with a television renewal from Showtime, it will not be as the organization we've seen, and will be used as a feeder league to the UFC. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and an official feeder league for the organization where they can introduce prospects before bringing them to the UFC is something that could be very beneficial, but they are to the point where they are going to take whatever talent they want from Strikeforce now. A Melendez-Masvidal bout would be entertaining, but many have wanted to see Melendez take on a top flight opponent for a long time, and he deserves to get that opportunity after all he's accomplished outside of the UFC.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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