After UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar‘s unbelievable performance at UFC 136, everyone seems to agree that Edgar is the No. 1 lightweight in the world today—at least, almost everyone.
Edgar is coming off a huge knockout victory over the highly-regarded Gray Maynard and, as a result, Edgar’s stock has never been higher.
However, Strikeforce president Scott Coker does not appear as high on Edgar as the rest of the MMA world.
While respectful towards Edgar, Coker believes that a different man deserves the title of No. 1 lightweight on the planet—Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.
While speaking about Strikeforce’s upcoming event on December 10th, Coker ended up on the topic of Melendez.
“He smashed Kawajiri and proved that he is the greatest lightweight fighter in the world right now,” Coker said.
Clearly this statement grabbed the attention of the MMAWeekly interviewer, who asked Coker to follow up on that comment, referencing the fact that Dana White had recently claimed Edgar as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
In response to being asked if he believed Melendez should be ranked about Edgar, Coker stuck by his statement.
“Of course. People talk about him [Melendez] fighting Frankie, and at some point I think that fight will happen and I think Gilbert will do hat he has to do. I think Gilbert is the greatest fighter in the lightweight division, right now.”
When asked outright if Melendez would beat Edgar, Coker seemed confident in his answer.
“Absolutely.”
Most would likely disagree with Coker’s claim that Melendez is the best in the world right now at 155 lbs., but as the president of Strikeforce, it’s not surprising that he is backing his own fighter.
Also, in this interview, Coker discusses Strikeforce’s return to San Diego, the future of the promotion, as well as the returns of Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
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