Filed under: StrikeforceGilbert Melendez won’t get a chance to demonstrate that he’s the best lightweight in the world any time soon. But he demonstrated once again on Saturday night that he’s the best lightweight in Strikeforce.
Gilbert Melendez won’t get a chance to demonstrate that he’s the best lightweight in the world any time soon. But he demonstrated once again on Saturday night that he’s the best lightweight in Strikeforce.
In the main event of Saturday night’s fight card in San Diego, Melendez had a fairly easy time beating Jorge Masvidal, winning 50-45 on two judges’ scorecards and 49-46 on the third.
The fight came just days after Zuffa, the parent company of Strikeforce and the UFC, confirmed that it will keep the Strikeforce and UFC brands separate, and that Melendez will stay in Strikeforce. That had to come as a disappointment to Melendez, who had said he wanted to fight the best of the best in the UFC, but nothing he did on Saturday night will have fans clamoring to see him fight the UFC champ. This was a workmanlike victory, but not a dominant performance.
After the fight Melendez said he hopes Zuffa will give him some better opponents to face.
“I’m proud to be a part of Strikeforce, and Showtime’s amazing,” Melendez said. “But you know what? They need to bring some guys over here to challenge me.”
In the first round Melendez landed quick combinations of punches while Masvidal did a lot of showboating and challenging but not a lot of actual fighting. Masvidal did knock Melendez down briefly with a leg kick, but the first round clearly belonged to Melendez, who threw more punches, and landed more punches, with more power.
In the second round Melendez continued to batter Masvidal with punches, and Masvidal didn’t do much in response other than try to jab Melendez away. Melendez wasn’t spectacular in the second round, but he was solid, and he built up a 20-18 lead.
As the third round wore on Melendez began to look tired, and some of Masvidal’s jabs were starting to get through. Masvidal had been less active in the first two rounds, and that allowed him to stay fresher into the third, and it appeared that the tide in the fight was beginning to turn.
If Masvidal was building up any momentum in the third round, however, he didn’t do much to capitalize in the fourth. That round was basically a boxing match, and Melendez landed more punches — although both fighters had slowed down, and by the end of the fourth round the fans were booing.
By the fifth both fighters were exhausted and the pace had slowed, and Masvidal surprisingly didn’t seem to think he needed to press the action and finish the fight. Melendez did enough to win the round and win the fight, even if it wasn’t a great performance.
Filed under: Strikeforce, ResultsMMA Fighting has Strikeforce results of Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal and the rest of Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime card happening at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
MMA Fighting has Strikeforce results of Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal and the rest of Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime card happening at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight belt against Masvidal. Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg is back in action as she defends her women’s 145-pound title against Hiroko Yamanaka.
Undercard Caros Fodor def. Justin Wilcox via first-round knockout Roger Bowling def. Jerron Peoples via first-round knockout Devin Cole def. Gabriel Salinas-Jones via unanimous decision Eddie Mendez def. Fernando Gonzalez via majority decision Herman Terrado def. Chris Brown via submission (armbar)
Filed under: StrikeforceThe grand Strikeforce experiment will continue, whether fighters like it or not. Zuffa’s other organization takes its next step tonight in San Diego with Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal, and it’s already been a whirlwind week…
The grand Strikeforce experiment will continue, whether fighters like it or not. Zuffa’s other organization takes its next step tonight in San Diego with Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal, and it’s already been a whirlwind week for the company that Scott Coker built. Below, a few questions, concerns, and comments heading into Saturday night’s event on Showtime.
I. That silence you hear? Yeah, that’s one reason why guys like Gilbert Melendez can’t wait to get out of Strikeforce and into the UFC. Fighters may not care how many articles get written about them in the lead-up to a fight, but they are still risking their health and whatever remains of their good looks in the cage on fight night, so they would prefer if people gave a damn. When it comes to Strikeforce these days, not many do. Maybe that’s why Melendez still talks openly about how much he’d like to move to the UFC, trying to paint this title defense against Jorge Masvidal as if it’s the last perfunctory step in the job application process for a UFC lightweight. Can you blame him? There’s no buzz for Saturday night’s event — not among media or fans. Dana White can “make it right” for Melendez by cutting him a check to compensate him for being stuck in Strikeforce, but he can’t make people care.
II. Money might help to make it right, but only for so long. Sure, Melendez’s desire to get to the UFC is partially motivated by financial concerns, and that’s the part White can help with. But don’t underestimate the role of ego here. Melendez wants to get paid, but he also wants to know that he’s testing himself against the best in the world, and on the biggest stage in the sport. He’s not getting the chance to do that right now, and he knows it. Nothing against Masvidal, but a win over him doesn’t do much to boost Melendez’s status in the lightweight rankings. It’s a fight where he has far more to lose than gain, in other words. The longer he stays in Strikeforce, the more of those he’s likely to have.
III. So what is Strikeforce, now that it’s not going away any time soon? Stephen Espinoza of Showtime Sports insisted on this week’s media call that “Strikeforce is not a secondary brand. …This is a top-tier organization.” If that were even close to true, however, you probably wouldn’t need to say it. People would just look at the fighters and the fights, and then they’d know. But what we see when we look at Strikeforce is an organization with a few very good fighters and a diminishing cast of also-rans to match them up against. It’s true that Melendez isn’t a second-tier fighter, but what does it matter if Strikeforce can’t find first-tier opponents for him? It’s like White has said about the UFC for years, usually when he wants to disparage the accomplishments of someone like Fedor Emelianenko: the UFC is the place where the best fight the best several times a year. Strikeforce might have some great champions, but they aren’t fighting the best right now. Melendez could make his case as one of the world’s best lightweights, but Jorge Masvidal can’t. Luke Rockhold is an excellent middleweight, but Keith Jardine isn’t a middleweight at all yet, much less a top contender in the division. It would be utterly unthinkable for Jardine to get a crack at Anderson Silva’s middleweight title. But in Strikeforce? Sure, why not. That probably tells us everything we need to know about whether this is a top-tier organization.
IV. Cris “Cyborg” Santos had to wait a year and a half to get another fight in Strikeforce. If she rolls right over Hiroko Yamanaka the way most people are expecting her to, how long will she have to wait for the next one? The answer to that question probably depends on whether she could realistically cut to 135 pounds or not. There simply aren’t enough opponents to keep her on a steady diet of challengers at 145 pounds, but you take one look at her frame and it’s hard to see where the excess pounds would come from. At the same time, if she stays put she’s not going to have much to do.
V. For a guy who hasn’t lost in nearly two years, Gegard Mousasi sure needs a win in a bad way. He’s 3-0-1 since dropping the title to Mo Lawal, but all three of those victories have come in Dream, against fairly unimpressive competition. He should have stomped an aging journeyman like Jardine, but instead ended up with a disappointing draw. If Mousasi is going to live up to his initial promise, he needs to start putting some wins together against opponents who matter. Beating up-and-comer Ovince St. Preux would be a good start, but it would only be a start. That’s what makes this such a tough fight for Mousasi. He has to win. OSP just needs to look good and stay competitive.
VI. Now that Zuffa runs Strikeforce, is KJ Noons in danger of getting cut if he loses his third straight fight? It’s hard to believe that the guy who was Nick Diaz’s nemesis and Gilbert Melendez’s would-be challenger now finds himself on a two-fight losing streak. In fairness, the first was a decision loss to Diaz, and there’s no shame in that — especially when you’re fighting out of your natural weight class to begin with. But then Noons dropped a decision to Masvidal in a bout he was favored in, so he now finds himself in a must-win situation against Billy Evangelista. Or does he? While the UFC might not have much use for serial losers, Strikeforce needs anyone with a name and even a modicum of drawing power. Noons still has both, so maybe that would be enough to justify holding on to him even if he loses. At least that’s one way Strikeforce’s peculiar status could actually work for fighters rather than against them.
VII. Justin Wilcox and Roger Bowling make you wonder: is it better to star on Challengers, or fight in the shadows of the Strikeforce prelims? For the last few years Strikeforce has used the Challengers shows to highlight up-and-comers (and occasionally down-and-outers), while using the prelims of its other events to sell a few tickets with local draws. But now that Challengers is disappearing, it seems as though guys like Wilcox and Bowling will get stuck on Strikeforce prelims instead, which seems both good and bad. For one thing, Challengers wasn’t ever a ratings winner, and the association had a certain negative connotation, like being on the JV squad. On the other hand, at least Challengers fights were on TV. At least they were the show, rather than the unaired show before the show. They might have thought they were playing to a tiny audience before, but now they’re really knocking down trees in a lonely forest. If you put on a great fight and nobody sees it, does it really make a sound?
Filed under: StrikeforceDuring a recent interview with the press, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez voiced his displeasure with some of the people who discounted his next challenger, Jorge Masvidal.
During a recent interview with the press, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez voiced his displeasure with some of the people who discounted his next challenger, Jorge Masvidal.
“A lot of people have been talking nonsense; that Jorge, like he’s no good. That you’re going to run by him,” Melendez said. “And that talk kind of bothers me because some people are ignorant. They don’t really follow the game that much. If you don’t fight in the UFC, they think you’re no good.”
Like most fighters, Melendez is much more attuned to the subtleties of an opponents’ fight style and skills than most observers, and he understands he’s truly in for a fight in Saturday night’s Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal main event. And he probably understands he’s in a no-win situation as well.
If he does emerge victorious, that’s exactly what he was supposed to do, and if he loses, detractors will say his consensus No. 2 lightweight ranking was never quite deserved.
Masvidal (22-6) is a crafty fighter with a style Melendez hasn’t really experienced in the cage. He keys his offense off a long jab that lengthens his reach and moves his opponent backward, an important strategy that plays into his preference for counter-fighting. Overall, though, he’s a very complete fighter.
Despite having no real base in wrestling, he’s proven his excellence in that department through the most recent part of his career. For example, his last fight was against KJ Noons, who loves to strike and uses his wrestling to keep the fight upright where he thinks he has an advantage. That has largely been a successful strategy for him. According to FightMetric, Noons has successfully defended 71 percent of takedown tries against him, but Masvidal took him down on seven of nine attempts en route to a dominant win.
So that’s one thing for Melendez (19-2) to be concerned about. The other is Masvidal’s striking. As mentioned, Noons has a reputation as a striker but Masvidal had a field day against him on the feet, knocking him down once and out-landing him 73-38 in signature strikes. That’s a fairly common outcome for Masvidal, who has one pro boxing fight under his belt and prides himself on his offensive skills and defensive movement.
Masvidal lands about 50 percent of his strikes while his opponents land less than 30, according to FightMetric. In addition to his jab as a favored weapon, he is one of few fighters who takes advantage of criminally underused body punching, occasionally firing off left hook liver shots. His easy motion and comfort level in his standup often lull his opponents into a false confidence, and then he can use his speed to strike or shoot in for the takedown. But other times, he himself might slow things down, too. That’s good in some matchups, but it’s not the best idea for this one.
Melendez’s style is much more well known than Masvidal’s. Melendez has refined his boxing over the last few years, adding power along the way (four of his last six wins are by KO or TKO). Coupled with an effective wrestling game and ability to create a grinding match, he often forces opponents into a fight that favors his skills. Melendez is also one of those fighters who can take his foe’s best weapon away and turn the bout into his favor that way.
But really, Melendez’s most important single trait is his conditioning, a quality that allows him to push the fight in any direction he wants with little fear of running out of gas. Particularly in five-round bouts, many fighters will pace themselves early, aware that they might need reserve fuel in case they still find themselves fighting 20 minutes or so later. Melendez doesn’t have to think about that.
He’s also trained for five-round title fights multiple times. This will be his seventh straight time preparing for the 25-minute distance, while Masvidal is doing it for the first time.
From a pure skill level, Masvidal is certainly capable of the upset, but it’s hard to overlook some of his past uneven performances. In a fight against Paul Daley that took place in Sept. 2010, for example, the win was there for the taking in round three after the two split the first two rounds, and Masvidal never showed a sense of urgency to seal the deal, allowing Daley to steal it on the scorecards. Given Melendez’s aggression, any kind of passivity may be Melendez’s undoing.
Masvidal has to be more offensive than usual and push forward, but that’s not really not his style, and it’s not likely he’ll change that overnight. If he sits backs and waits to counter, Melendez’s more straightforward style will make a bigger impact with the judges. Masvidal has the chin and boxing skills to bring this fight into the late rounds, but Melendez’s stamina will be the edge to get him to the finish line first. Expect this one to be closer than the wide odds indicate, but Melendez holds on to the belt with a decision win.
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsMMA Fighting has Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal weigh-in results for Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime event at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
In the main event, Gilbert Melendez puts his lightweight bel…
MMA Fighting has Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal weigh-in results for Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime event at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
In the main event, Gilbert Melendez puts his lightweight belt on the line against Jorge Masvidal. Both fighters made weight Friday at 155 pounds. Also,
Cris Cyborg (145) will defend her title against Hiroko Yamanaka (145).
Preliminary Bouts Justin Wilcox (156) vs. Caros Fodor (156)
Jerron Peoples (180.5) vs. Roger Bowling (170) *catchweight bout
Devin Cole (248) vs. Gabriel Salinas-Jones (265)
Fernando Gonzalez (186) vs. Eddie Mendez (186)
Herman Terrado (170.5) vs. Chris Brown (170)
Reminder —Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal goes down tomorrow night in San Diego, and we’ll be liveblogging the Showtime broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Strikeforce recently released this promo video focusing exclusively on the lightweight title competitors and Cris Cyborg; Gegard Mousasi and Ovince St. Preux are nowhere to be seen, and the only glimpses we get of KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista are brief clips of them getting beat up by Jorge Masvidal. Still, this could be a surprisingly entertaining card for those who actually care enough to watch it. Either way, that clip of El Nino ruining Kawajiri’s life with elbows never gets old.
After the jump: Jorge Masvidal gets interviewed by three hot Spanish chicks, nearly slaps the crap out of one.
Reminder —Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal goes down tomorrow night in San Diego, and we’ll be liveblogging the Showtime broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Strikeforce recently released this promo video focusing exclusively on the lightweight title competitors and Cris Cyborg; Gegard Mousasi and Ovince St. Preux are nowhere to be seen, and the only glimpses we get of KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista are brief clips of them getting beat up by Jorge Masvidal. Still, this could be a surprisingly entertaining card for those who actually care enough to watch it. Either way, that clip of El Nino ruining Kawajiri’s life with elbows never gets old.
After the jump: Jorge Masvidal gets interviewed by three hot Spanish chicks, nearly slaps the crap out of one.
Props: Republica Deportiva via MiddleEasy. The weird slapping demonstration starts at the 5:20 mark. No, I don’t know what they’re saying either, but they’re called “Las Senadoras,” and you should probably watch this video too.
Gilbert Melendez won’t get a chance to demonstrate that he’s the best lightweight in the world any time soon. But he demonstrated once again on Saturday night that he’s the best lightweight in Strikeforce.
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