Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez successfully out-pointed Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night’s fight card, earning a one-sided unanimous decision victory over his challenger.
The defense was Melendez’s sixth straight impressive victory for the promotion, all of which have had championship implications. Though he hasn’t been fighting quite as high of caliber opponents as UFC champion Frankie Edgar, the fact is that Melendez has been every bit as dominant—or more—than Edgar.
Given the way these two 155-pounders have performed in recent years, it should be no surprise that they are the only two fighters who are truly in the conversation right now as the best lightweight in the world. But the debate is becoming increasingly fierce.
Is Edgar really as good as he has been made him out to be? Following his most recent victory over Gray Maynard, UFC president Dana White went out of his way to proclaim Edgar as not only the best lightweight, but also the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now.
Still, others such as Strikeforce commentator and MMA legend Frank Shamrock have openly proclaimed Melendez as the best lightweight, adding on Saturday night’s broadcast that anyone who wants to prove that they are the best [presumably speaking of Edgar] should have to come to Strikeforce and prove it.
Shinya Aoki attempted to do so when he came over from DREAM in April 2010, but Melendez humiliated the Japanese superstar, planting him on his backside numerous times and completely dispelling the belief some had that Aoki had a legitimate claim as the top 155-pounder in MMA.
So could Edgar be the next one whose myth gets debunked against “El Nino?”
Certainly Edgar’s victories over B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard have solidified him as the top UFC fighter at 155, but those who have paid close attention have to remember that those victories haven’t been quite as dominant as one would expect from someone who is the best in the world.
In fact, many believe that Penn should’ve been awarded the decision in his first fight with Edgar. Perhaps worse yet, Edgar was nearly knocked out multiple times in each of his two fights against Maynard.
Penn and Maynard are two of the best fighters in the world, so Edgar gets somewhat of a pass on those points by many people. Some even give him more credit after the two fights with Maynard because Edgar “proved that he can recover.”
As fair as that analysis may be, Maynard is not Melendez. He might be a better wrestler, but when it comes to finishing fights, Maynard just doesn’t possess the same tools that Melendez does either as a striker or a grappler.
Simply put, if Melendez caught Edgar like Maynard did, those fights would have never made it out of the first round and it would be a unanimous conclusion from the MMA world that Melendez is, indeed, the best there is.
Unfortunately, given Edgar and Melendez’s contracts, it seems unlikely that we will see these two lightweight juggernauts in the same cage anytime soon. However, if Edgar gets by Benson Henderson at UFC 144, the conversation of a super-fight between the two champions should continue to heat up.
After all, these two might be the only ones who can beat the other man.
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