Eddie Alvarez Accuses Gilbert Melendez of Dodging Him

Bellator Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez was excited when the news broke that Bellator had come to an agreement with former Strikeforce Champion Gilbert Melendez.  He had hopes that he would face a man that he felt has intentionally eluded him for years.  Eddie Alvarez has long awaited a fight with Melendez and felt that the signing of Melendez was going to get him the match he has wantes for years. When he heard that Melendez was going to be staying with the UFC, he felt like Melendez was finding another way to dodge him.  He feels that Melendez is scared to face him and will always try to avoid a possible clash.

As entertaining as a fight between Alvarez and Melendez would be, Gilbert Melendez belongs in the UFC amongst the best fighters in the world.  Melendez didn't truly want to go to Bellator, but the negotiations with Bellator eventually got the UFC to come to an agreement on contract terms with him.  Eddie Alvarez was almost signed to the UFC a year ago, but was pulled back into Bellator due to contract terms that allowed Bellator to match the UFC's contract.  I think that after his contract with Bellator is over that Alvarez should try to make a second attempt at getting in the UFC so that he can have his showdown that he claims to strongly want.  

GIlbert Melendez Renews UFC Contract Plus More!!!

The UFC has just announced today that former Strikeforce Champion, Gilbert Melendez, will be staying with the UFC after the company has decided to match Bellator MMA's contract offer to the Melendez.  Also along with the resigning of the MMA vet, the UFC has decided to give Melendez a coaching spot on the twentieth season of the Ultimate Fighter reality series, which will feature the UFC's introduction to the female Atomweight Division.  He will be coaching along side current UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis.  After the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighter Finale, the two men will square off against each other for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

This is exciting news for any fan of Gilbert Melendez.  Melendez belongs in the UFC amongst the possible competition for him.  I feel talking with Bellator was a great idea for Melendez as it led to the UFC matching his deal with Bellator and also giving him a title shot in his next fight.  The title fight was a bittersweet announcement as many were looking forward to seeing UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo move up to Lightweight to fight Anthony Pettis, but I feel that Melendez is the most deserving challenger in the division.  I look forward to seeing how Melendez will handle the unorthodox striking of the champion when they finally clash.

Gilbert Melendez Signs with Bellator

It seems that former Strikeforce and WEC Lightweight Champion, Gilbert Melendez has decided take matters into his own hands in regards to his UFC contract issue as he has been signed to Bellator.  UFC Lightweight contender Melendez has been battling with the UFC to come to contract agreements for a while now. Michael Chandler the former Bellator Lightweight Champion had already called out the UFC star before anythung was finalized with Bellator. With Melendez signing a multifight contract is is possible that the two of them might clash.

As a die-hard UFC follower I am sad to hear that Melendez will no longer be in the UFC, but I am glad that he is going to Bellator and not a smaller organization. I hate to think of such a great talent like Melendez leaving the UFC over a contract dispute,  but I think that he will surely be tested as Bellator has the nest lightweight division outside the UFC. I wish him luck and I hope that we will see him again in the UFC. The UFC still has the ability to match Bellator's offer by way of Gilbert Melendez's current contract under the UFC.

Chandler Wants Melendez in Bellator

Former Bellator Lightweight Champion, Michael Chandler, has expressed an interest in facing Gilbert Melendez if he jumps the UFC ship and heads over to Bellator MMA.  Chandler tweeted:

Seeing this news about @GilbertMelendez has me excited. Who wants to see me welcome him to @BellatorMMA after I beat Eddie?
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 13, 2014

 I would be heavily interested in seeing a clash between Chandler and Melendez, but as much as I would love to see this, I'd prefer to see Gilbert stay in the UFC and eventually fight for the belt.  If Melendez does decide to leave the UFC I would love to see him face Chandler or Eddie Alvarez for the title.  If Melendez were to move to Bellator and beat one or both of these men, it would further solidify his top 5 status in the world at 155 lbs.  The Lightweight division is the most talented division in all of MMA and Bellator has the second best Lightweight division after the UFC.

Melendez May Be Leaving the UFC

UFC President Dana White, has publicly come out about the status of former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez and his relationship with the UFC.   White has stated that he has a good relationship Gilbert Melendez, but is frustrated with the management team of Melendez. White says that Melendez may need to start looking at other organizations for employment hinting at fhe fact that he might not get re-signed by the UFC. Melendez's last fight with the UFC and Zuffa on his contract was against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 in Houston, Texas.

I really hope that Melendez is able to come to terms with the UFC so that we can continue to seem him fight amongst the best fighters in the world in his weight class. Melendez has the potential to be the UFC Lightweight Champion and some feel that he should've been the current UFC Lightweight Champion as some felt he beat Henderson when they squared off for the title. Melendez is a real gem in the UFC and represents the best of the best at 155 lbs.

Cerrone Wants Six Fights in 2014

Donald Cerrone looked impressive as he landed a head kick to Adriano Martins at UFC on Fox 10 this weekend and earned the Knockout of the Night.  Cerrone is now looking to set a UFC record by fighting five more times this year.  Cerrone has stated that he wants to break this record and stay very busy this year.

If Cerrone is able to be as sharp as he has been since November, I think that this might benefit his career.  He could potentially work his way back to the spot he was in January 2013 when he and Pettis were fighting to see who was next in line for the title.  If he can get wins over some top ten guys such as Khabib Nurmagomedov or Gilbert Melendez, he might be able to get another shot in late 2014 or early 2015.  Cerrone has it in him to be the future UFC Lightweight Champion, but he needs to tweek his style a little and be a shoot-first fighter instead of getting off to a slow start as he has a habit of doing.  We predict big things for Cerrone who has competed for the WEC on three occasions and has impressive wins over big name competition.

Nurmagomedov and Melendez Not Happening

Despite being featured on the UFC 170 fight poster,  Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gilbert Melendez's fight will not be featured on the UFC 170 card.  Dana White announced today that the fight will not be going down in February as originally thought.

UFC 170: Nurmagomedov and Melendez Square off

Young and exciting UFC Lightweight, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has gotten his wish. Not long after Melendez went to war with TUF winner, Diego Sanchez, Nurmagomedov and Melendez both expressed an interest in each other for their next opponent. Khabib also went as far as making a mock trailer for a future clash between the two top contenders.

Nurmagomedov is 5-0 in the UFC and is ready for a huge step up in competition and he gets to face the man who is right behind Benson Henderson as the #1 contender in the UFC's 155 lb division.  Gilbert Melendez fought for the title against Benson Henderson earlier in 2013 and lost a close decision that some felt he had won. He then made up for it with a decisive decision win over Diego Sanchez.

This fight has been added onto the UFC 170 card which is headlined by a Rashad Evans and Daniel Cormier.

Pettis-Aldo-Melendez-Grant

As reported earlier this week, Jose Aldo has continued to show interest in a lightweight fight with the UFC champion Anthony Pettis.  Also TJ Grant was the rightful man to a title shot before having to pull out of two title fights.  This week another curve has been thrown into the mix of the UFC Lightweight Championship; Gilbert Melendez has stated that he is ready again to take the title that he feels already belongs to him.  The following questions are now raised:

1. Who will the UFC give the next title fight to after the Pettis-Thomson fight?
2. Who stands a better chance of taking the title from Pettis?
3. Will Grant still be considered the number one contender upon his return?
4. If Aldo fights Pettis what happens if he fails to capture the title?
5. Also what will it take for Henderson to get back in the title picture?
6. Does Thomson have what it takes to pull the upset over newly crowned lightweight king, Pettis?

The UFC has a line of elite competitors all waiting to get their hands on Pettis and some important decisions to make as to the future of their Lightweight Division.  The answer to the first question is one that I do not have the answer to, but as soon as I do, you will all be the first to know.  In my opinion I would prefer to see Aldo or Melendez over Grant at this point.  I was anticipating the fight between Aldo and Pettis at UFC 163 so that is the match that makes the most sense to me.  The answer to who stands a better chance against Pettis is a debatable question, but if I had to pick one of the three to beat Pettis I would have to say that the man to stand the best chance is Gilbert Melendez.  I feel that Gilbert has the better gas tank of the three and an ability to be sharp and effective throughout a five round war if necessary.  Gilbert Melendez has a cerebral approach to fighting that has led to many victories and titles in the Strikeforce and WEC in the lightweight division.  He is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and has the ability to not walk right into Anthony Pettis' game plan.

In regards to TJ Grant, I feel that he has now lost his spot as the next guy in line for the title.  I think that he will have to return and win another fight before he gets back in the spot due to the delay in his return.  He will need a tune-up fight to get him in prime position to challenge for the UFC title.  Or the UFC wanted to put things back to the way that they should've been, they could still put together a match between TJ Grant and Ben Henderson for a number one contender's spot against the winner of the Pettis and Thomson match up.  Sure both men aren't fighting for the title as originally scheduled but this provide's the UFC the opportunity to put together the match that was meant to take place at UFC 164.  I think if this match was put together, the winner could justifiably ask for a title shot.

Though I think Gilbert has the best chance of beating Pettis, I also think that Aldo possesses what it takes to defeat Pettis as well.  Despite feeling that Aldo could beat Pettis, we must ask ourselves what would happen if Aldo were to lose against Pettis?  The UFC and internet forums are just assuming the current UFC Featherweight Jose Aldo will make his move to the lightweight division, take Pettis' title and continue the rest of his MMA career as a lightweight in the UFC.  Longtime followers of MMA know very well that anything can happen in MMA and it is very possible that Anthony Pettis could find a way to defeat Jose Aldo if they were to clash.  If this were to happen what would that mean for Jose Aldo?  If he loses there are two options that are possible: he could go back to 145 and continue to defend his belt or he could stay at 155 so then he wouldn't have to continue to cut so much weight to defend his UFC Featherweight Championship.  Jose Aldo has annihilated most of the featherweight roster in the UFC or in his time in the WEC; it would be interesting to see how he would handle the UFC's Lightweight roster.  I think Aldo could hold his own in the lightweight division as well, but I think that he will be challenged more by the slightly larger fighters in the division.  I think that Aldo will perform even better than we've seen him if he isn't cutting so much weight before getting in the cage.

The biggest question to ask would be can Thomson beat Pettis and the answer is yes!  When discussing anyone of these guys in this post, we are talking about the elite of the elite in the UFC, so anyone of them COULD beat the other guy, but it becomes a matter of who came into the fight with the best game plan.  I think Thomson definitely has the potential to beat Pettis and ruin all title fights discussed above.  Thomson could spoil all potential title fights involving Pettis and making us start thinking about Thomson vs. Aldo-Melendez-Grant-Henderson. Also if this were to occur would Pettis still have a shot to face Aldo at 145 lbs?  Also what if there is someone else that the UFC has in mind to fight for the title next?  Ladies and Gentleman, we have a very interesting UFC Lightweight Division and I can't wait to see what happens.

Fights for the Winners of UFC 166

UFC 166 was a spectacular night of thrilling finishes and dominating decisions. The first match of the main card was between John Dodson and Darrell Montague in the Flyweight division. Dodson defeated Montague in the first round via a vicious left hand that sent Montague face first into the mat. For Dodson there are two matches that I think could work. I think that a bout between Dodson and Ian McCall or a bout with Dodson and Chris Cariaso.  I think that both of these matches make sense for Dodson seeing as both men are coming off of victories in there outings. A fight with McCall would be a good main card bout seeing as both men are top names and draws for the division.  A fight with Dodson and Cariaso would be a fight between two powerful flyweights coming off of knockout victories.

Gabriel Gonzaga faced Shawn Jordan in the heavyweight division in a fight that also ended in the first round. Gabriel Gonzaga won by TKO due to strikes as knocked Jordan to the ground and then used hammer fists to finish the stunned heavyweight.  I think a great test for Gonzaga would be a match with Stipe Miocic who recently defeated Roy Nelson at UFC 161 by unanimous decision. It would be a great clash of two elite heavyweights.

After that match was perhaps one of the best fights in quite some time. A complete stand up war between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez. Both men gave 100% in that fight, but Gilbert Melendez was the better of the two men and showed why he dominate the Lightweight division for years in Strikeforce.  There are two possible opponents that make sense right now for Gilbert Melendez.  The first one is a bout between Rafael dos Anjos, who has won his last five UFC bouts and is on his way to being in the mix for a UFC title shot and a win over Melendez would solidify his place in the top ten.  Inversely a win over dos Anjos for Melendez would mean that he can still fight off the other young, hungry challengers who aim for having his spot at the top of the heap.  It is a fight that could decide the next man to face the champion after TJ Grant's return.  Another man also on a five-fight win streak and also a 21-0 professional record and possible opponent would be Khabib Nurmagomedov.  Nurmagomedov as another top ten opponent in the division that is making his way to the top of the rankings.  I think this fight would be more challenging for Melendez and could guarantee Melendez a title shot.  The win for Nurmagomedov would get him to be 1 fight away from a title shot.

The co-main event was a heavyweight clash between Roy Nelson and Daniel Cormier.  Daniel Cormier was able to out-perform in every area of the fight.  He out-grappled, out-struck and out-did Cormier for three whole rounds.  Daniel Cormier has been preparing himself for a move to the UFC's Light Heavyweight Division to prevent having to face his AKA training partner Cain Velasquez in the future.  I think that the best match up for Daniel Cormier before he gets his hands on Jon Jones would be a match between another highly decorated wrestler in the division, Phil Davis.  Phil Davis is knocking on the door to a title shot and I think it would be interesting to see how well Cormier fairs against another ultra-talented wrestler in the form of Davis.

The main event for the evening included another savage beating being suffered by Junior dos Santos by the hands of Cain Velasquez.  Cain punished Junior for over twenty minutes before the referee finally put dos Santos out of his misery.  Now that the saga is over (for now anyways), the only man left to challenge Velasquez is Fabricio Werdum.  Werdum is riding a three fight win streak in the UFC upon his return to the organization and picking up where he left off before he was derailed by Junior dos Santos.  He is the only fighter who I feel wouldn't fear Velasquez's takedown or grappling. As a matter of fact, Werdum might welcome it.  I believe that Werdum is definitely the only man outside of dos Santos who poses a real threat to the throne of Cain Velasquez.

UFC 166 Results

Main Card:

Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos via fifth-round TKO
Daniel Cormier def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision
Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Shawn Jordan via first-round TKO
John Dodson def. Darrell Montague via first-round KO

Preliminary Card:

Tim Boetsch def. C.B. Dollaway via split decision
Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt via first-round KO
Jessica Eye def. Sarah Kaufman via split decision
KJ Noons def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision
Adlan Amagov def. TJ Waldburger via first-round KO
Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio via submission (D'Arce choke)
Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via second-round TKO
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via second-round TKO

What a night of fights tonight at UFC 166! The night began with John Dodson squaring off with UFC newcomer, Darrell Montague in the UFC Flyweight Division.  John Dodson was able to outwork Montague on the feet dropping him to the canvas before inevitably being KO'd in the first round.

The night then went from the lightest division in the UFC to the heaviest division.  Shawn Jordan and Gabriel Gonzaga met in the center of the cage to engage in a stand up war in the Heavyweight division.  The match had a feeling out process until Gonzaga connected with the hands and landed on Jordan and also earning a first round KO in his fight tonight.

The next fight was between two talented UFC Lightweights, Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez.  It was a fight in which Melendez began the first round out-classing Sanchez in a very dominate round.  In the second and third rounds of the fight, both men went into complete brawl mode with both men swinging for the fences.  The difference between the two fighters was Melendez seemed to never lose his technical edge even during the wild exchanges, Melendez was still connecting with his clean boxing and great movement. If there was one word to describe the third round of the fight, it would be fireworks!  Melendez won a unanimous decision in a classic fight in the UFC Lightweight Division. "That's the greatest fight I've ever seen in my life," were the word that came out of the mouth of Joe Rogan after the fight.

Next was a fight between to top Heavyweights as Roy Nelson would be set to fight undefeated heavyweight Daniel Cormier.  Cormier was able to out-grapple Nelson for all three rounds and even use his speed to actually beat Nelson on the feet as well.  Cormier won an obvious unanimous decision.

In the final fight of the evening we saw a battle between the perfect forms of both of the main event fighters as the clashed for the third time in the UFC.  Cain Velasquez used the same strategy that he used in their second fight.  Cain used his amazing rappling to pin Junior against the cage for over 20 minutes but showed improved striking to help aid him in taking out the documented better striker.  Dos Santos showed improved wrestling by defending most of Velasquez's takedowns.  After a grueling 20 plus minutes of battling, Velasquez was able to pull off a TKO victory due to strikes.

UFC 166 Weigh-in Results PLUS Predictions!

Main Card:
Junior Dos Santos (240) VS Cain Velasquez (241)
Roy Nelson (249) VS Daniel Cormier (224)
Diego Sanchez (156) VS Gilbert Melendez (156)
Shawn Jordan (255) VS Gabriel Gonzaga (257)
Darrell Montague (126) VS John Dodson (125)

Preliminary Card:
Tim Boetsch (186) VS CB Dollaway (186)
Hector Lombard (169) VS Nate Marquardt (171)
Jessica Eye (135) VS Sarah Kaufman (135)
KJ Noons (156) VS George Sotiropoulos (155)
Adlan Amagov (171) VS TJ Waldburger (170.5)
Mike Rio (156) VS Tony Ferguson (155)
Jeremy Larsen (145.5) VS Andre Fili (148.5)
Kyoji Horiguchi (135) vs Dustin Pague (135)

UFC 166 is going to be a HUGE night for the UFC Heavyweight division with the final chapter of the Velasquez-Dos Santos saga scheduled for tomorrow night at 10pm eastern time.  Velasquez and Dos Santos have exchanged the UFC title between the two of them over the last two years.  Tomorrow night only one man can leave as the UFC Heavyweight Champion.  In October of 2010, Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar to gain the UFC Heavyweight Championship.  A year later in the same city where he won the title, a hungry Junior Dos Santos came in and took the title from Velasquez in his first match after winning the title.  A year later the UFC granted Velasquez the opportunity to prove that his title win was not a fluke and Cain Velasquez did more than deliver in the rematch in which he strategically dismantled Dos Santos for 25 whole minutes.  After that meeting last year, Junior Dos Santos took on and knocked out fan favorite Mark Hunt, which earned him another chance to face Velasquez.  If this match turns out to be everything that it could be, then we are in for a real treat.  The question becomes, will it be Dos Santos' power punching or Velasquez's cerebral approach that will win the fight?

Predictions for the Event via MMATakedown.net:

What Should Happen Next For Henderson

After Ben Henderson's title loss to new UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis we are left with the question of who Benson Henderson should fight next.  I think that there a few fights that make sense for the UFC to put together.

I think that a fight with current #4 ranked UFC Lightweight Josh Thomson would be the fight that I want to see the most.  Josh Thomson is coming off of a knockout finish over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 in April.  Josh Thomson has been considered an elite lightweight fighter for many years.  In his UFC return he proved that the bright lights of the UFC place no extra pressure on the MMA vet.  I think that this match up is one that makes the most sense.  Thomson is on his way to the top and knocking on the door of his title shot and a win over Henderson would be a good way to secure a shot.

On the inverse it is also a beneficial match for Henderson as well.  Henderson has demolished most of the UFC's top lightweights upon his entrance into the UFC.  Now that Strikforce has been absorbed  by the UFC there are more options out there for Henderson to face.  If Henderson could defeat Thomson he could cement his elite status by defeating a very respected MMA vet who still has a lot of fight left.  Josh Thomson has many victories in Strikeforce and has challenged for the Strikforce title on three occasions.  Josh Thomson could arguably be considered the second best Lightweight fighter to come out of Strikeforce, following Gilbert Melendez.  If Henderson wins it means that he can still beat the UFC's best-of-the-best in the 155lb weight class.

Another option is the possibility of a Henderson-Cerrone III.  There's nothing that fans love more than a good trilogy.  Both men are coming off a defeat within the last two weeks and need a win.  Like Thomson, Cerrone has been a long time contender in the Zuffa organization.  Donald Cerrone has fought for the WEC Lightweight Championship on three occasions.  His first title fight was with Jamie Varner and his next two were with Benson Henderson.  Cerrone is a one of the UFC's best lighweights and a great match up for Henderson to produce a war.

In October at UFC 166, the king of the Strikforce Lightweight Division, Gilbert Melendez, will be facing the original Ultimate Fighter, Diego Sanchez.  If Ben Henderson were to face the winner of the Melendez-Sanchez it provides UFC fans with two beautiful options: a rematch that allows Gilbert Melendez to avenge his split decision loss to Henderson earlier this year or a fresh match between two of the UFC's biggest stars whose paths have yet to cross.

Other options: Rafael dos Anjos, Gleison Tibau, Gray Maynard and BJ Penn if he chooses to pursuit his fight career again.