Immediately in the cage following his third straight consecutive title defense, Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez stated that he was alright with remaining in the promotion for how ever long the plan is to keep him there, but would like Zuffa to steer some high level challengers his way to test him so he can prove his claims to be true, declaring himself as the #1 Lightweight in the sport. Melendez has fought in Strikeforce since 2006 and has remained loyal to the promotion that has helped promote him as one of the best Lightweights ever to compete in the sport. Melendez holds a record of 20-2-0, avenging both losses in in the "hexagon" against Mitsuhiro Ishida and longtime rival Josh Thomson which combine with his current six fight win streak. Since jumping into the spotlight in the sport as the reigning Lightweight champion in the #2 North American MMA promotion, Melendez has called for recognition as the best and repeatedly issued challenges to fight the best the UFC has to offer, especially since the UFC's parent company Zuffa purchased Strikeforce early in 2011 and hoped that a unification bout between the promotions would happen as soon as possible. Coupled with the recent announcement that Strikeforce would remain on Showtime with a new deal in 2012, it was announced that all fighters still under contract with the promotion would remain under their employment, which includes Melendez and the other three remaining champions in the promotion. With a small roster of Lightweights, there are few challengers to step up and test Melendez to his fullest capabilities, and sometimes trying to rush a certain challenger into title contention results with that fighter either losing just before getting his title shot or not performing to the best of their capabilities.
With few challengers to promote into the big spotlight and garner a large audience, Melendez has called for the UFC to possibly send in some of their top talent in against him so he can prove he is worthy of the elite status he feels he has earned. Two names that have come up among fan discussions have been perennial contender and TUF1 finalist Kenny Florian, and TUF5 alumni Gray Maynard who is the only fighter at this time to hold a win over reigning UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Melendez has even picked specific fighters from the top of the UFC Lightweight division claiming to be superior to them, comparing himself to final WEC Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis who was next in line for a shot at the UFC title before having to wait and take another fight, and former WEC champion Benson Henderson who is currently the #1 Lightweight contender and will face champion Frankie Edgar in February, claiming that he has done more deserve a shot at the title than they have at all. With few contenders on the Strikeforce roster, sending over mid-level or rising talent from the UFC's extensive Lightweight roster could be a good move for Zuffa to make. With Strikeforce expected to eventually fold into the UFC along with their champions at that time and rosters, ensuring that those champions are well promoted prior to the eventual unification bouts would be a good business move ensuring more PPV buys for an event that should garner a lot of attention, especially from the hardcore MMA fan base.
Sending over fighters like Florian or Maynard could also help rebuild their stock as well in the division. Having fought in his fourth weight class and coming off the third title loss of his career in only his second bout at Featherweight, Florian is returning to the Lightweight division where he found the most success in his career and is hoping to make one last run at the title before he retires. Should Florian be steered towards fighting in Strikeforce to test Melendez and win the title, Florian would be in a position where he would earn his first major title in his whole career, and if he continued to defend that title until the eventual absorption of the promotion, he would be guaranteed his final shot at UFC gold in what would be one of the most high profile bouts he has ever competed in with a unification of the two titles.
Having come off a devastating and surprising knockout loss to reigning UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, the score between Gray Maynard and the division champion is now 1-1-1, with each holding a definitive victory over the other and going to a Split Draw in their first rematch. With UFC President Dana White stating that Maynard would really need to work his way back to a title shot, especially while Edgar is still champion, sending him to test Melendez in Strikeforce would be perfect. For so many fighters, as could be the case with Melendez, facing a strong wrestler could prove to be the biggest test for them, even for another strong wrestler. With a striking game that is growing and getting more diverse combined with a strong wrestling background going back to his childhood, Maynard would be a major test for Melendez and could make him fight in a more defensive manner. A bonus in this case for Maynard would be a chance for him to win his first major MMA title and, depending if he can remain dominant, he could get that final rematch with Edgar if he is still the champion by the time the title unification bout comes up.
For other fighters who have trouble remaining in the top ranks long enough to get a title shot, names such as Joe Lauzon, Sean Sherk, Evan Dunham, Sam Stout, Denis Siver, and Jeremy Stephens could be big enough names that could pose a big threat to Melendez. Lauzon being a powerful striker when on top of his game with a dangerous BJJ skill set to go with it, Sherk being a former UFC champion with strength and wrestling combined to give opponents a difficult time, Dunham being a creative striker with a good grappling game, Stout being a heavy handed striker with good combinations, Siver being a strong kickboxer with a developing submission grappling game, and Stephens being an aggressive striker with good wrestling all pose significant challenges to Melendez, and none of them are really considered among many analysts' top ten rankings in the UFC. Melendez could be biting off more than he could chew calling out the top fighters in the most talent stacked roster in one of the most exciting divisions in the UFC, and that could work against him if he gets his wish. While many analysts still look past Melendez seeing that he is not in the UFC, his skill set is impressive with an aggressive striking game, impressive power, an offensive wrestling game, and a submission game that is honed training with some of the best BJJ practitioners under Cesar Gracie like former Strikeforce Middlweight champion Jake Shields, now former Welterweight champion Nick Diaz, and current UFC Lightweight contender and TUF5 winner Nate Diaz. Melendez does have an impressive skill set being a diverse MMA fighter, but until we see him tested against a challenger who is a more well rounded and complete MMA fighter, he will remain being considered by many analysts as a fighter with much to prove in a division that shifts every time somebody wins or loses.
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