Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t lost since June 2008 and he’s already avenged that defeat to Josh Thomson.Melendez (19-2 MMA, 9-1 SF) looked sensational in his most recent outing in outclassing Tatsuya Kawajiri in the opening r…
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t lost since June 2008 and he’s already avenged that defeat to Josh Thomson.
Melendez (19-2 MMA, 9-1 SF) looked sensational in his most recent outing in outclassing Tatsuya Kawajiri in the opening round of their fight this past April.
With the dominant victory, Melendez advances his win streak to five, and he now faces Jorge Masvidal (22-6 MMA, 4-0 SF) this Saturday in San Diego live on Showtime.
Melendez is without a doubt an elite lightweight, and with an impressive showing against Masvidal, he’s fully aware that he could find himself joining the UFC ranks in 2012.
“To be the No. 1 fighter in the world and to be that you have to be in the UFC and you have to have the UFC strap,” Melendez recently told Fighting Famous. “So, yes, I’d like to kick some ass and make this my last fight in Strikeforce.”
For additional Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal information, follow Joshua Carey on Twitter and visit Fighting Famous on Youtube.
He is the last superstar left in Strikeforce. Over the past few months, the UFC has cherry picked the fighters they want to bring over since the purchase of Strikeforce. Among the people who made the switch are former Strikeforce main event fighters Ni…
He is the last superstar left in Strikeforce.
Over the past few months, the UFC has cherry picked the fighters they want to bring over since the purchase of Strikeforce.
Among the people who made the switch are former Strikeforce main event fighters Nick Diaz, Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson. Gina Carano has not been discussed because the UFC has not shown any inclination to want to promote women’s MMA.
However, the one man the UFC has not brought over yet is Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. A few months ago, UFC President Dana White commented that Melendez was on his way to the sport’s top promotion.
Melendez was very happy to hear White’s comments.
“I reached out to Dana ‘Yo, let me know. I’m ready when you are,” Melendez said. “I was even willing to sit out for a while to come to the UFC.”
That deal, however, never came to pass. Instead, Melendez is set to defend his title against fast-rising Jorge Masvidal on Saturday, December 17 on Showtime.
“He’s very talented,” Melendez said of Masvidal. “I think he’s underrated, but the more and more I watch tape, I think there are some holes in there that I can expose.”
With the big prize of a UFC title shot seemingly in Melendez’s not-too-distant future, he understands that he has to keep focused.
“This is where I’m supposed to choke, right?” Melendez said. “This is what motivates me. This fight is for myself, to show I can stay focused. I know what’s on the line here.”
Masvidal has the reputation of someone who is a feared striker.
“People act like I should be super scared,” Melendez said.
“Someone like (Shinya) Aoki you’re not scared of because he might tap you, but he won’t hurt you. Jorge likes to hit hard, but the more I see, the more he likes to run.”
Melendez still realizes that Frankie Edgar, and the UFC championship may not be that far off.
“I feel like I’m ready,” Melendez said of a possible fight with Edgar.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff just outside of the UFC.”
Edgar and Melendez have very similar styles. Both have great conditioning, fight a very a fast pace and have a strong wrestling background.
“I think he’s an amazing fighter,” Melendez said, when asked about Frankie Edgar.
“I like his style. He’s very smart. He goes top, low, middle. He uses kicks. I think some of his defense could use a little work on the stand-up.”
Melendez has already has his strategy of how to win the title from Edgar.
“Does it look like he can’t be dethroned? No. Does he look untouchable? No. We’ve seen how to beat him-for one round, but can you keep it up for two or three? I think I can keep it up for five.”
A fight with Edgar could be an instant classic in the way many of Edgar’s UFC fights have been. Edgar has already won many Fight of the Night bonuses.
Melendez is not the only one from his training camp looking for a UFC title. One of Melendez’s closest friends, the enigmatic Nick Diaz, is preparing to vie for the UFC welterweight championship in February 2012.
Ever since defeating BJ Penn at UFC 137, Diaz has seen his popularity skyrocket. Melendez realizes that Diaz’s rise will help the entire Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu training camp.
“Nick Diaz is a friend of mine,” Melendez said. “We’re a team. Because of them, I’m way more popular. I’m honored. They don’t let that many people in.”
Diaz is known for displaying a somewhat puzzling public persona. He has missed press conferences, failed drug tests and got into unplanned televised brawls.
“He’s not really sure what people’s intentions are,” Melendez said, when asked about Diaz.
“If you get to know him, he’s a very smart, intelligent guy. He’s a fighter. Maybe he didn’t anticipate being an entertainer.”
“He just beat BJ Penn. That’s crazy”
While Diaz shies away from media appearances, Melendez understands that interviews and marketing can play a big role in a fighter’s popularity.
“We don’t really talk about the media that much,” Melendez said.
“I encourage Nate (Diaz) to do it. We back each other up with what we’re good at. I’m more than happy to talk on our team’s behalf if I can.”
Melendez would clearly like to be participating in press conferences that are with the UFC. Even though Masvidal is next, he clearly has his sights set on the Zuffa’s number one promotion.
“I want to be the UFC champ,” Melendez said.
“That’s the goal. When you’re the UFC champ, you’re No. 1 in the world. The goal is to be in the UFC ASAP.”
When asked who would win Edgar’s upcoming title defense, Melendez said that Edgar will defeat Henderson.
“I think he’s going to hold the belt—until I get over to the UFC.”
If all goes according to Kajan Johnson’s plan, the Canadian lightweight contender, who recently tried out for The Ultimate Fighter 15 in Las Vegas, will soon be coming to a television set near you. “I feel really good about my performance i…
If all goes according to Kajan Johnson’s plan, the Canadian lightweight contender, who recently tried out for The Ultimate Fighter 15 inLas Vegas, will soon be coming to a television set near you.
“I feel really good about my performance in the tryouts,” Johnson recently explained to Bleacher Report. “I did very well in jits, awesome in striking and I murdered the interview.”
According to the man they call “Ragin,” who first tried out for the tournament as a middleweight a few years ago, he would be taken aback if he didn’t make it through the show’s casting-process.
“I would be kind of surprised if I didn’t make it on the show,” Johnson admitted. “I don’t see what else they could possibly be looking for. Not to toot my own horn, but I have the skill, the look, the charisma, marketability.”
If Johnson has his way, however, a stint on The Ultimate Fighter would only signal the beginning of a long run in the UFC’s Octagon.
“I think I’ll do really well on the show,” Johnson noted. “I’m very confident that I will be [The Ultimate Fighter 15] champion.”
“Ideally, going on the show would result in the world knowing my name and style, a solidified place in the UFC and a title-shot not too far away. I’m gonna win the show and beast on the UFC like a grizzly eating a salmon.”
If—on the outside chance, as Johnson claimed—he doesn’t make it into this season’s lightweight tournament, the always-confident 155-pound contender won’t be too upset.
“If the producers pass on me, I keep at it, man,” said Johnson, who has notched victories in seven of his last eight outings and spends time training at the TriStar Gym in Montreal. “Keep beating guys with good records and I’ll get in soon. I know it.”
“I know I have what it takes. I’ve known for a while. I’m gonna beast on the UFC whenever they let me in. It’s only a matter of time. I will not stop until I’m at the top with a belt on my waist. UFC champ or dead—that’s what it is.”
Prior to UFC 140, Jon Jones (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had not lost a single round or had to face adversity inside the Octagon.Former champion Lyoto Machida (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was elusive early in the opening round and found success with his kicks and punche…
Prior to UFC 140, Jon Jones (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had not lost a single round or had to face adversity inside the Octagon.
Former champion Lyoto Machida (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was elusive early in the opening round and found success with his kicks and punches.
Jones appeared frustrated after Machida staggered him and landed a flush body kick.
Machida forced Jones to play his technical striking game for the first five minutes of the fight, but in Round 2 Jones kicked low and to the body.
Halfway through the second stanza Jones utilized his advantage in wrestling to take the fight to the mat, where a few early elbows left a nasty cut above Machida’s right eye.
After both fighters traded punches, Jones locked on a standing guillotine choke and Machida’s inability to escape the submission left him unconscious.
“It’s not really a move I practice,” Jones said post-fight. “I think it’s just a move that comes natural from wrestling.”
While Jones escaped a tough first round to prove that he can deal with adversity, it also showed that he’s not untouchable.
Machida found success in the striking department and at one point had Jones frustrated, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master wasn’t equipped to deal with Jones’ unorthodox submission game.
Jones’ next foe will be the winner of Rashad Evans and Phil Davis at next month’s UFC on Fox 2 event on Jan. 21.
Evans and Jones are heated rivals, and if given the opportunity they will engage in what will likely be the most anticipated fight of 2012.
For additional information on UFC 140, follow Joshua Carey onTwitter.
When Mitch Clarke first learned that he was to take on John Cholish in the UFC—the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts competition—the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product was admittedly caught off guard. “I was getting ready to go…
When Mitch Clarke first learned that he was to take on John Cholish in the UFC—the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts competition—the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product was admittedly caught off guard.
“I was getting ready to go to a strength and conditioning session and I got a phone call from my manager saying, basically, that my original fight was cancelled,” Clarke, 26, explained to Bleacher Report. “I started to get kind of uppity. Then he said it was because I was fighting in Toronto for the UFC.”
“I was surprised when I heard the news, of course. I was expecting to get a few more fights in before I would get a shot at this.”
According to Clarke, however, his bout against Cholish at UFC 140 on Saturday evening could’ve been over well before it was scheduled to begin.
“I was supposed to keep it confidential,” Clarke explained. “My manager said that I could tell my coaches, but to tell them not to tell anyone and, of course, not tell anyone myself. I told a couple of my coaches and, eventually, I looked at my phone and I had 30 texts, 12 missed calls—everyone was saying that I was fighting in the UFC.”
“I thought that something really bad had happened, because I really wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. I guess someone from Cholish’s camp had spread the word, though … I was not a happy-camper. I thought that I would for sure get in trouble and maybe even lose my job.”
Fortunately for Clarke—and Cholish, a student of the legendary Renzo Gracie—the two combatants kept their jobs with the UFC. Despite the leaked report, the two are still to meet in the Octagon on Saturday evening.
Although Clarke, who is undefeated through the first nine professional matches of his career, is a few months—or years—ahead of his own schedule, he nevertheless feels ready for his Octagon-debut.
“He’s good at a lot of things, but he doesn’t keep a tremendous pace,” Clarke noted. “He’s more systematic. It’s a very interesting fight. I’m a good grappler, I work my stand-up a lot, too, and I like to keep a higher pace.”
“I feel confident in my abilities. I think this is a very winnable fight.”
Looking past his match on Saturday—although the Canadian lightweight is quick to insist that he isn’t looking past Cholish—Clarke is hoping to one day become a star within the confines of the UFC.
“I’d like to be someone who competes well and someone that people want to see fight,” said Clarke, who is the proud owner of six submission victories and another two by way of knockout. “I want people to buy the pay-per-views that I’m on to see me compete.”
UFC 140 is set to go off tomorrow night, and it will be a true showcase of the top Canadian mixed martial artists in the UFC. Claude “The Prince” Patrick and Mark Bocek are both on the card and were on hand yesterday at the press conference at the TIFF…
UFC 140 is set to go off tomorrow night, and it will be a true showcase of the top Canadian mixed martial artists in the UFC.
Claude “The Prince” Patrick and Mark Bocek are both on the card and were on hand yesterday at the press conference at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.
Patrick is facing Brian Ebersole in a nice step up in competition in his career, while Bocek is in dire need of a win against Nik Lentz.
Both sounded confident and focused when B/R MMA caught up with them.
Claude “The Prince” Patrick Takes on Brian Ebersole
“I was supposed to go to Australia and teach for Ebersole in 2007. He has an academy out there, and he was going on vacation. I was gonna go and teach, so we were rapping back and forth on the computer for a bit.
“He’s a pretty nice guy overall but not nice enough to avoid a beating on Saturday night.”
Mark Bocek Takes on Nik Lentz
“He’s good at bringing people into his game. He’s more experienced than me but not more experienced against tougher competition. I don’t see how he is going to out-wrestle me. I’ve trained with better wrestlers than him. I mean, he’s an okay wrestler Division 1, but that means nothing in MMA.
“I think he’s good, but I think I’m better.”
UFC 140 weigh-ins go down at 4pm, and B/R MMA will have video later today.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t lost since June 2008 and he’s already avenged that defeat to Josh Thomson.