Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez will square off against one another sometime this fall.Sanchez, currently unranked, is coming off a contentious decision victory over Takanori Gomi in March. He also came in to the bout overweight. It was his return t…
Sanchez, currently unranked, is coming off a contentious decision victory over Takanori Gomi in March. He also came in to the bout overweight. It was his return to the 155-pound division.
Melendez, ranked No. 1, dropped his UFC debut to Benson Henderson by a contentious decision in April. The narrow defeat did not see him drop in the rankings, but it also did not earn him an immediate rematch.
The bout between Melendez and Sanchez looks to be exciting. On paper, it is one of the best upcoming lightweight bouts.
Let’s take a look at this bout, and break it down from head to toe.
Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will return to action later this year for his second UFC bout when he faces Diego Sanchez in a pivotal showdown in the 155-pound division. The two fighters agreed to meet, according to a message …
Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will return to action later this year for his second UFC bout when he faces Diego Sanchez in a pivotal showdown in the 155-pound division.
The two fighters agreed to meet, according to a message Melendez released via Twitter on Thursday, although no date or location for the fight has been announced.
In an interview with MMA‘s Great Debate Radio following his last fight, Melendez mentioned his time line for return would be around October. That would fit into the UFC’s plans for an upcoming card slated to land in Houston, which will be headlined by heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. former titleholder Junior dos Santos.
Earlier in the week, UFC Tonight also reported that Sanchez was targeting an October date for his return to action, so all of the pieces fit for the two lightweights to square off as part of the card tentatively titled UFC 166.
Melendez will enter the fight against Sanchez still haunted by the memories of his last bout in the UFC. At UFC on Fox 7, he came within one round on one judge’s scorecard of becoming the UFC lightweight champion.
In his Octagon debut, Melendez battled Benson Henderson in a five-round war, but when it was over, the incumbent champion was declared the winner.Many believed Melendez should have received the nod when it was over, but now the San Francisco Bay area fighter will look to earn another shot at the gold when he returns to the cage later this year.
Greeting Melendez while hoping to work his way back to the top of the division as well will be former lightweight title contender Diego Sanchez, who will make his second appearance at 155 pounds since moving down to the weight class earlier this year. Sanchez has bounced back and forth between welterweight and lightweight over the last few years, but he decided that 155 pounds will be his home for now.
During his last stint as a lightweight, Sanchez made it all the way to a title shot, but he lost in his bid to become champion after being stopped by BJ Penn at UFC 107 in 2009.
In his last fight, Sanchez returned to the lightweight division (although he did miss weight at the event, coming in at 158 pounds) and won a close, controversial decision over former Pride champion TakanoriGomi.
Sanchez will try to make a much bigger statement this time around when he faces a fighter many consider to be the uncrowned UFC lightweight champion in Gilbert Melendez.
A finalized date for this lightweight fight will likely be announced by the UFC in the coming weeks.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
A former Strikeforce champion and one of the original winners of The Ultimate Fighter are gunning for a 155-pound scrap this fall.Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez are keen on meeting in the Octagon for their next fight, according to a report by …
A former Strikeforce champion and one of the original winners of The Ultimate Fighter are gunning for a 155-pound scrap this fall.
Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez are keen on meeting in the Octagon for their next fight, according to a report by Ariel Helwani for FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight.
“El Nino” made his UFC debut at UFC on FOX 7 in April, losing a close and controversial unanimous decision to UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson.
Prior to the loss, Melendez had won seven bouts in a row under the Strikeforce banner, including three (technical) knockouts.
On the other hand, Sanchez planned to make his return to the 155-pound level at UFC on FUEL 8 in March, but he came in two pounds heavy for the matchup against PRIDE legend Takanori Gomi.
Sanchez won the bout via a hotly contested split decision.
Prior to the victory, Sanchez was coming off a 2-2 stint at welterweight, defeating Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago and losing to John Hathaway and Jake Ellenberger.
Last month, Melendez told Knockout Radio that he was interested in fighting Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, featherweight champ Jose Aldo, Pat Healy or Diego Sanchez next (via MMA Weekly).
Melendez is currently ranked as the top lightweight in the UFC’s official rankings, while Sanchez is outside the division’s top 10.
UFC officials did not comment on the potential matchup between Melendez and Sanchez.
Would a showdown between the duo be a worthwhile bout to kick off the UFC’s fall schedule?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
The UFC will return to Milwaukee on August 31, and Diego Sanchez is looking for a partner to tangle with.After a two-year hiatus, the Octagon will once again roll through the BMO Harris Bradley Center for UFC 164. The event is part of the Harley-Davids…
The UFC will return to Milwaukee on August 31, and Diego Sanchez is looking for a partner to tangle with.
After a two-year hiatus, the Octagon will once again roll through the BMO Harris Bradley Center for UFC 164. The event is part of the Harley-Davidson “Hometown Throwdown” that will help to mark the company’s 110th anniversary celebration.
While Sanchez is attached to the card, he is currently without a scheduled opponent, and “The Dream” is taking matters into his own hands.
As announced on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight, the 31-year-old has selected three fighters he would like to square off with in the “Brew City.” There has been no word so far about them accepting the fight, but with Sanchez campaigning for the matchups, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on the developing situation.
Here is a look at Sanchez’s wish list for UFC 164.
Josh Thomson
After making a successful return to the lightweight division against TakanoriGomi at UFC on Fuel TV 8 in March, Sanchez is looking for a path toward a title shot. That being said, the 155-pound division is one of the most competitive under the UFC banner. There is no easy route to take when traveling north, and a bout with Josh Thomson would make for a sensible next step.
“The Punk” recently made a huge statement in his return to the Octagon, when the AKA staple scored a TKO victory over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 in April.
It was the former Strikeforce champion’s first victory in the UFC fold since 2004, and by defeating the brash Stocktonian, Thomson put himself within striking distance of a title shot. The only issue with said title shot is that traffic in that area appears to be congested for the time being.
With the No. 1 contender slot set to be determined by Gray Maynard and T.J. Grant at UFC 160, it will be several months before champion Benson Henderson will put his belt on the line. As a result, Thomson will have to take another fight to keep himself in a position to contend, and with most of the top fighters in the weight class coming off losses, a date with Sanchez could be the perfect option.
Both fighters like to push the pace when the cage door closes, and a scrap between Sanchez and Thomson could deliver 15 minutes of goodness.
The biggest stylistic difference between the two fighters is that Sanchez prefers to close the distance, whereas Thomson likes to use his footwork and attack from the outside. Nevertheless, neither fighter has a problem with getting down to business, and this fight would deliver for the Milwaukee fighting faithful in attendance.
Nate Diaz
Following Sanchez’s victory over Gomi in Japan, the TUF 1 winner told Fuel TV in his post-fight interview that he would like to be the first person to defeat both Diaz brothers.
Back in 2005—during Nick Diaz‘s first stint in the UFC—Sanchez wrestled his way to a unanimous-decision victory over the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter. The Jackson’s MMA-trained fighter would go on to greater glory under the UFC banner, while Diaz would continue to have trouble with wrestlers—as shown in his recent loss to Georges St-Pierre.
Fast forward eight years, and Sanchez is now targeting the younger Diaz brother. After a tough run in the welterweight division, theTUF 5 winner returned to the lightweight division and scrapped his way to the top of the weight class. Victories over TakanoriGomi, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller earned Diaz the opportunity to compete for Henderson’s 155-pound strap.
Unfortunately for Diaz, the task was too steep, and the 28-year-old suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of the current champion. And the problems didn’t stop there. After suggesting he might return to the welterweight division in the future, Diaz squared off with Thomson at UFC on Fox 7 and was stopped for the first time in more than six years.
Six months ago, he was a title contender, and now Diaz is facing back-to-back losses and an uncertain road for his future. While the bout does nothing for Sanchez’s title hopes, the fight makes sense in terms of entertainment value. The former title challenger is notorious for his pre-fight intensity, and when matched against Diaz‘s natural disdain for the opposition, the pre-fight buildup could produce fireworks.
If Diaz does decide to return to welterweight, that is no problem for Sanchez. He told UFC Tonight that he would be willing to fight Diaz at either weight, if the bout with Thomson couldn’t be made.
Gilbert Melendez
The third opponent on Sanchez’s wish list is former Strikeforce champion and recent UFC lightweight title contender Gilbert Melendez.
In the eyes of some MMA fans and media pundits around the sport, “El Nino” should be wearing the 155-pound strap. After a five-round back-and-forth dustup with Henderson, the “Skrap Pack” leader came out on the losing end of a controversial split decision. Nevertheless, the defeat means Melendez will have to earn his way back to the top, and Sanchez is looking to bar his path.
Melendez recently told Bleacher Report’sDamon Martin that he wants his next fight to carry title implications. And while Sanchez’s controversial split-decision victory over Gomi didn’t catapult him to the top of the rankings, the current situation in the lightweight division could lead to Sanchez being the best option for Melendez.
Melendez is in a unique position. After losing a razor-thin decision to Henderson, he is most likely just one win from having another title shot. But with the rest of the top fighters in the division either being booked up or having been knocked out of contention with a loss, the options are few and far between. The 30-year-old Santa Ana-native has ruled out a possible fourth fight with Thomson, which leaves a tussle with Sanchez as a possibility.
Matching a fighter coming off a win against one coming off a loss is typically strange business for the UFC, but when considering the current positions of Melendez and Sanchez , a bout between them makes sense—maybe not perfect sense in the greater picture, but it is far from crazy.
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson escaped with title in hand by the narrowest of margins against Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7. One man who was not impressed was Diego Sanchez.Speaking to MMA Junkie, Sanchez did his best “I am not impressed …
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson escaped with title in hand by the narrowest of margins against Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7. One man who was not impressed was Diego Sanchez.
“After watching Benson Henderson’s performance against Gilbert Melendez, I must say, I wasn’t impressed,” Sanchez said. “I see a lot of holes in his game, and I feel like that belt’s there for the taking.”
An area where Sanchez saw a particular weakness was in Henderson’s game plan:
He’s strong, but in the Gilbert fight, he didn’t try to do one takedown the whole fight, which I think a champion would see, ‘I’m not dominating this fight in the stand-up, so let’s work for something else. Let’s try to change it up and at least get some points.’ At least try to win some rounds more convincingly, the way he did with Jim Miller. But he was just very content in his striking style and throwing the kicks. I saw it as a mediocre performance, and I think I can get in there and beat this guy.
Henderson’s victory marked his third title defense and outside of his bout with Nate Diaz, all of the title fights Henderson has been in while in the UFC have been very close.
Sanchez took part in his own close-decision victory in his last outing as he barely made it past an aging TakanoriGomi. It didn’t help that Sanchez came in two pounds over in his return to the lightweight division either.
Sanchez is likely quite a ways from another UFC title shot at 155 pounds. “The Dream” has a number of items going against him right now if he plans on challenging for the title.
For one, he’ll need to prove he can even make 155 pounds for his next fight, which is tentatively scheduled for UFC 164 in August. There’s also the fact that Sanchez was absolutely mauled in his only title appearance to date against BJ Penn at UFC 107. And of course his latest “victory” over Gomi was extremely underwhelming for the original Ultimate Fighter winner.
The UFC will return to Milwaukee on August 31, and