Defending Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez weighs in on lightweight rankings

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gilbert Melendez has won four consecutive fights, avenged the only two defeats of his career, and on Saturday, defended his Strikeforce 155-pound title with a lopsided unanimous-decision win over Japanese star Shinya Aoki, who was widely regarded as the world’s No. 2 lightweight fighter.

The latest win came in a CBS-televised co-headliner at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

And it has many wondering, “Where does Melendez now rank among the world’s best?”


NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gilbert Melendez has won four consecutive fights, avenged the only two defeats of his career, and on Saturday, defended his Strikeforce 155-pound title with a lopsided unanimous-decision win over Japanese star Shinya Aoki, who was widely regarded as the world’s No. 2 lightweight fighter.

The latest win came in a CBS-televised co-headliner at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

And it has many wondering, “Where does Melendez now rank among the world’s best?”