Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez are set to handle their business at UFC 188 on Saturday night in Mexico City.
There is a large amount of buzz surrounding the clash between two of the elite lightweight fighters in the world, as the former Bellator champion and former Strikeforce 155-pound titleholder have built their respective careers on their ability to bring the scrap each and every time out. The co-main event bout at UFC 188 is all but guaranteed fireworks, but there are other contributing factors that have made the showdown between Alvarez and El Nino such a highly anticipated affair.
The biggest of which is the fact Alvarez and Melendez have been attached to one another for a potential fight multiple times over the past several years. Before both men eventually signed with the UFC, they were regarded as the two best lightweights competing outside of the Octagon. Naturally this made fight fans eager to see them mix it up inside the cage, and each time the topic was broached in an interview, the potential pairing would make headlines around the MMA community.
Yet, with both fighters competing under different promotional banners, the chances of the matchup ever coming to fruition was slim, and Alvarez found continued talk about the fight pointless. Each time Melendez would mention his name in an interview all it did was further irritate the Philadelphia native, but Alvarez put that energy away until a time when there was something he could actually do about it.
The opportunity to do just that will arrive on Saturday when Alvarez and Melendez will finally get to sling leather inside the Octagon, and it’s one Alvarez has added motivation to make the most of.
“All the talk about us fighting before was pointless in my opinion,” Alvarez told Bleacher Report. “He kept on talking about it, but I mean what’s the point of telling people you want to fight me if you are fighting in different promotion than the one I’m in? He could have fought me in other places if he really wanted to. He turned down entering the DREAM tournament that I was in, and he could have signed with Bellator but decided to sign with Strikeforce so the fight didn’t happen.
“I’m relieved to be finally getting in there to fight him. A part of me thought this fight wasn’t actually going to happen so I’m relieved it’s just a few days away now. We also get to do it in a place where the energy is going to be insane and fight in front of a sold-out crowd. I don’t think there is any better time or place for this fight to go down than right now. I’ve never been more ready, so let’s get it. I’m going to make him pay for wanting to fight me.”
In addition to their grudge match in Mexico City providing a stage for one man to finally establish supremacy over the other, the bout between Alvarez and Melendez is also a crucial bout in the lightweight divisional hierarchy. Both were figured to be immediate threats to the 155-pound title upon their respective arrivals to the UFC fold, but neither has been able to get their hands on championship gold as of yet.
Melendez has been turned back both times he’s contested for the title, and Alvarez came out on the business end of his meeting with Donald Cerrone in his official promotional debut at UFC 178 last September. The race for title contention at 155 is currently hotter than it’s been in years, and that leaves no room for set-backs where the elite-level fighters in the weight class are concerned.
In order to remain in the upper tier of the lightweight collective, Alvarez absolutely must defeat Melendez to retain his status as one of the world’s best in his weight class. It’s a situation he’s well aware of, and the savvy veteran uses that energy for motivation. He’s been a champion in other organizations, and that’s what he came to the UFC to do as well.
Alvarez has made a career out of bouncing back from rocky starts to achieve what he’s set out to do, and he plans to lay it all on the line once again when the Octagon door closes behind him in Mexico City on Saturday.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com