It looks like Gilbert Melendez will be facing Josh Thomson after all.
After two months of speculation—a time period that included Melendez saying that he wouldn’t be fighting Thomson on May 19—MMAjunkie.com reported today that the pair of lightweights are targeted for the next Strikeforce event in San Jose.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events. We’ve discussed countless times how Melendez and his prodigious talents are wasted in the Strikeforce lightweight division. His rightful place is in the UFC, facing off against the best the world has to offer. But due to the new contract Strikeforce owners Zuffa signed with Showtime last fall, Melendez is stuck in a form of martial arts purgatory; he believes he’s the best lightweight in the world, but has zero chances to prove it due to the depleted talent roster in Strikeforce.
That’s a sad thing, for Melendez and MMA fans alike. Instead of facing the likes of Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis and Frankie Edgar, Melendez is stuck fighting Josh Thomson for a third time.
Thomson isn’t a terrible opponent. He’s a serviceable fighter and a good lightweight. But he’s not a great lightweight, and that’s the type of fight that Melendez deserves at this point in his career. Thomson won his last fight against K.J. Noons in underwhelming fashion and lost to Tatsuya Kawajiri in the fight before that one.
Point being, Thomson is only considered a legitimate title contender because there are no other fighters in the company worthy of title contention. He’s the best of the rest, so to speak.
The unfortunate thing is that, according to my own sources, Dana White indeed had a UFC lightweight lined up to face Melendez, but the fight fell through. As a result, Melendez is stuck playing the same old song against the same old opponent. And what happens after Melendez disposes of Thomson, as I fully expect him to do? Who else can be dredged up in the Strikeforce lightweight division to face Melendez?
The answer? There is nobody. If Melendez beats Thomson, he’ll have zero legitimate opponents left. Sure, Zuffa can try to wrangle up another UFC lightweight to face Melendez in Strikeforce, but I’m not optimistic that will ever happen. To a man, I’ve heard UFC lightweights say they aren’t interested in moving over to Strikeforce. Being in the UFC, even in the middle of the pack, is a better option than moving to Strikeforce.
I realize there are contractual obligations the UFC must meet with Showtime. And I’m sure that if Dana White had his way, Melendez would have been in the UFC for six months or more at this point. But White’s hands are tied, and Melendez is the one paying the price. The only thing he can do at this point is finish up his Strikeforce contract and sign with the UFC when he becomes a free agent.
It’s high time to figure out a way to bring one of the best lightweights in the world to the UFC, where he can face challenging competition every three months. The fans deserve to see him facing the best, and Melendez deserves the chance to prove he’s the best.
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