Gilbert Melendez targets a move up to Welterweight
Posted on December 18, 2010, 03:01 AM by Daniel Cassidy“Honestly I’m ready for some new blood. I’ve cleaned out a lot of guys in the 155 lb. division so I will probably have to fight a couple of guys again who are in my weight class. I know that is a possibility so I’m prepared to deal with that. Then I hear Paul Daley called out K.J. Noons and Nick Diaz and while I know that Diaz is down…Noons says that Daley isn’t worthy and I think that Paul Daley is a Top 10 guy. I would love to jump up and fight somebody with a high profile like that who would raise my stock in the pound for pound rankings. Something like that interests me and those are the kinds of things I want to bring to the table.”
“We can do a catch weight bout at 165 lbs. but if he has a problem making that and we would need to do 170 lbs. then let’s do it. I want to challenge myself, stay motivated and that’s something that I would be totally up for even if nobody else is. No one in Strikeforce is calling my name out after the fights. Nobody is looking for a fight with me. They are all calling out K.J. Noons. What about me? I’m the champ…let’s get to it.”
"I don't feel like there is too much left to prove at lightweight," Melendez stated "I mean...there are things that can be done and I'm willing to prove whatever I need to. I'm willing to fight Billy Evangelista. I'm willing to fight Lyle Beerbohm. I'm willing to fight Justin Wilcox and these up and comers but they're not giving me an opportunity. Like I said man...everybody is calling out everyone else but me and I'd love to check these guys and defend my title against them but apparently Strikeforce either doesn't think they are ready or are not worthy"
With a potential third fight with Josh Thomson looming, Gilbert Melendez it seems is a champion with too few chalengers. Since causing the upset by defeating JMMA legend Shinya Aoki, Melendez stock has risen massively, and the Strikeforce Lightweight Champ admits he is considering a move up to Welterweight to fight fresh blood. The Cesar Gracie product is 18-2, only being beaten by decision against Josh Thomson and Mitsuhiro Ishida, both loses he has since avenged.
On a four fight win streak with no new opponents in sight, What do you think, Lowkick'ers? Should Melendez consider a move up to 170 lbs? Should he stay content at ruling the Strikeforce Lightweight division? Or should he look to face new competition?
Source: Bloody Elbow
Comments
go to the ufc
He is to small to be competitive at WW its a shame SF dosnt have the talent pool to give him good match ups, get to the UFC with the WEC merger their is atleast 25 good oppenents of Gilbert, instead of fighting the same people in SF.
At Strikeforce moving up.....there is a couple guys KJ is one I didnt
even know KJ fought LW but moving up he would Daley, or Finney
would be a good fight....Cyborg...lol....
He can't. There is a championship clause in his contract. The only way you will see him in the UFC is if he abdicates (SF must agree to it first) the LW title and moves up to WW. If he did that he could finish he contract and go to the UFC.
Cyborg haha... both Cyborgs would be good fights for Gil.
He will get his ass kicked by Cristine Cyborg...
Melendez vs Alvarez would be the best match up to see rite now with Melendez...if not that fight then Melendez vs Noons/Daley/Beerbohm would b pretty good too
Alverez has asked for it for awhile now cause Melendez
brings him up all the time and Eddie asked Coker about it
on the MMA hour with Ariel and he said that he would do it
Melendez has said he would crush'em and a kinda made it out
that Eddie cant keep up..... but besides Eddie and a couple other
guys The UFC is stacked it the LW and the FW now
Eddie would beat Melendez.
I have never been a big believer in Gil but I'm gaining respect for him now. The guy really wants to prove himself and I like that a lot.
I think he should stay at Lightweight and wait till he goes into the UFC
He would have to lose the title first and if that happens the UFC won't want him.
He doesent have to lose the title first. If his Strikeforce contract expires and he goes to the UFC hes stripped of the SF title. That what happened to Shields
Wrong. Shields did not have a championship clause. He was the only one who didn't. Melendez has one so he cannot go to the UFC ubtil he is already bereft the title.
I don't understand why those guys keep fighting at SF when they could easily be hired by the UFC and make way way more money and fight the very best guys in the world. I just don't understand... I mean if I was a fighter and the champ of my division and i wanted to challenge myself, I would leave SF and go get a better salary AND recognition in the UFC.
Read my post below - contracts. Got signed in a couple years ago and because it takes Strikeforce so long to put on events, it takes forever for guys with a __-fight contract to actually fight that many times.
That's a big reason, the other of which is that the UFC makes its fighters sign exclusive contracts, that is, they can't fight for any other organisation or in any other sport. That's why Overeem hasn't signed with the UFC yet, he wanted to fight K-1. And it was part of the hurdles with signing Fedor, he wanted to be able to fight sambo and the UFC was actually going to let him. But they wouldn't let anyone else fight anything else, that would have been the exception.
I say Melendez vs Noons and Daley vs Diaz or Daley vs Cyborg or Wooley, if Diaz wants to fight Mayhem.
Gil vs Thomson.
Masvidal vs JZ.
Crusher vs Thomson(rematch in Strikeforce)
Evangelista vs Wilcox.
Daley vs Diaz.
Woodley/Tarec vs Evangelista Cyborg.
I'd have to agree with what many people on here are saying ... why move up in weight when there is plenty of competition elsewhere.
The problem at the moment for Gilbert is he's the champ and most SF champs have a clause I thought that wouldn't allow them to leave ... (Shield's didn't have it).
He is stuck in a bad place, too small for WW, and too good for SF's LW division. As kmac07 said, "go to the ufc."
Gil is down with a move to the UFC. He isn't one of those blind UFC-hating guys that Strikeforce has plenty of. He goes to UFC events all the time and is also now watching his good friend Jake Shields start to get some big recognition, start to become mainstream, get a shot at the best fighter in the world, and imagine the cheque Jake brough back to Caesar Gracie's gym after he fought Kampmann? Hopefully he bought the Strikeforce guys lunch.
Gil is chomping at the bit to get the **** out of that unprofessional B-level organization. He just needs to fight out his contract and we'll see him move. It's just taking forever to do that because they aren't giving him fights.
170?...i think he is to small but who am i to tell him that!...I know im taller and bigger then the guy but im sure he could **** me up!..
He's too small for 170 he'd get picked apart. Stay at 155 and go to the UFC.
He is probably moving to 170 to ditch the title so he can be free to leave strike force after a fight or two at 170 you guys know he has said he wants to fight the best and other than Alvarez the UFC is where 155 talent is at
Good call mma420. You still got same brains left up there.
At face Value, it seems like Gilbert's point is that he's considering going up in weight. That may be true also but maybe really he's not speaking to the fans to let us know what he's thinking, but rather this is his diplomatic or indirect way of speaking to Coker to say it's time to start marketing me like the champ and get me the fights that will continue to grow my brand or else I'll find a way outta here.
I think hes in the right division but he needs to GO TO THA UFC!!!!! He is too talented for those strikeforce guys
Very true, there is no doubt the UFC now has the best lightweight talent pool with the WEC merger. He destroyed Aoki and made him look stupid, when Aoki was ranked the #2 fighter by any site or poll that existed at the time.
Melendez should beat josh and should fight the winner of Billy Evangelista v Lyle Beerbohm then get singed by the ufc
I won't even go inot all the flawed logic of this alleged move
It has butt-whipping written all over it
Diaz or Daley would bring this little fantasy to a screeching halt in short order
So find some new SF challengers
or title for title with dream or Bellator
or jump to UC for competition
155 dvision worldwide is stacked!.. obviously i dont know what kind of contract hes under! but he is class in the top 10 LW so why stay at strikeforce if you can't get the level of competition your after!.. i think hes just tryna take attention away fro the alavarez hype!....
Then again so would I if Eddie Alavarez wanted he kick my ass!!