Ben Henderson
With Strikeforce closing it’s doors this past weekend, the Ultimate Fighting Championship appears set to book a lightweight title unification bout between UFC champ Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson (18-2) and Strikeforce title holder Gilbert ‘El Niño’ Melendez (21-2).
The matchup is being targeted for this April as part of the UFC on FOX 7 event according to Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com.
The FOX event will likely take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California according to Chiappetta, the former home of the Strikeforce promotion.
Henderson is coming off a decision win over Melendez’s teammate Nate Diaz last December at the UFC on FOX 5 event. The win was Henderson’s sixth straight victory and second straight UFC title defense. ‘Smooth’ won the title just under a year ago by defeating Frankie Edgar by decision in their first bout at UFC 144.
Melendez has competed in nine straight Strikeforce title matches, going 8-1 in that span. ‘El Niño’ was to have defended his Strikeforce belt versus Pat Healy but a shoulder injury forced the cancellation of the bout twice. Melendez earned his last victory in May with a split decision over Josh Thomson in a grudge match.