Strikeforce’s Big Fish

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Gilbert Melendez sure sounds like a short-timer, despite his multi-fight contract with Strikeforce.

Of course, ever since Zuffa LLC bought out the San Jose, Calf.-based promotion in March, jumping ship to the UFC is quite a bit simpler than it used to be. In recent months, three Strikeforce titleholders -- light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and welterweight champion Nick Diaz -- all made the transition to mixed martial arts’ largest organization in the name of bigger fights and more pay-per-view buys.

It is only natural to wonder when Melendez, ranked No. 2 on Sherdog.com’s list of lightweights, will be making a similar move. Speculation only intensified when UFC President Dana White began hinting in October that the Strikeforce lightweight king’s Octagon debut was imminent. Melendez himself has not shied away from the discussion, even with his title defense against Jorge Masvidal on tap for Saturday at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

“It’s inevitable,” he said during a pre-fight conference call for Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Masvidal” in which questions centered as much around the Californian’s impending departure as they did on his bout with Masvidal. “I think some of the top fighters need to go to the UFC, and I’m one of those guys. The goal is to be UFC champ, and the only way to do that is by getting the UFC title.”

Any plans of that nature would be derailed by a loss to Masvidal, an American Top Team product who enters their five-round fight looking for his third straight win in 2011, having already beaten Billy Evangelista in March and K.J. Noons in June. The former Sengoku Raiden Championship and Bellator Fighting Championships competitor is not a household name, but he is a well-traveled veteran who can test the champion. If anyone understands what it means to be overlooked despite a lengthy list of accomplishments, it is Melendez, who has not always gotten the recognition he deserves because his entire body of work has come outside of the UFC.

“A lot of people have been talking nonsense about Jorge -- that he’s no good,” Melendez said. “That talk kind of bothers me. If you don’t fight in the UFC, they think you’re no good. He poses a lot of threats on the feet; he’s a well-rounded fighter. I think he could take out a lot of guys in the UFC right now.”

Melendez has won five fights in a row, and while he is quick to credit Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker for continually supplying him with top-notch competition, he also feels he has exhausted most of the possibilities within the promotion.

“I think if I get past Jorge, if I stay in Strikeforce, [then] no, I don’t see challenges there. There’s definitely some talent, but I think I’ve done my thing there,” he said. “It would be cool if they brought some UFC fighters to Strikeforce -- I love fighting in Strikeforce. It doesn’t matter if it’s a UFC or a Strikeforce fighter; I just want a top fighter.

“Coker brought me [Shinya] Aoki; he brought me [Tatsuya] Kawajiri,” Melendez added. “Scott will always pull some tough fighter out of nowhere to give me a challenge. I can’t think of anyone on the roster [right now], but Scott always pulls someone out. There’s a lot of top fighters out there.”

Many of them reside in the UFC’s ultra-competitive 155-pound division, however. Ben Henderson will challenge Frankie Edgar for his belt at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan, in February. Should he get by Masvidal, Melendez is viewed by many as the next logical challenger for the winner of that bout.

“If I have to beat five more people before that, so be it, but the sooner the better. I’ve deserved a chance at the UFC title, and if I can get it as soon as possible, that’s great. If not, I’ve got to keep winning and working hard,” he said. “I feel like I’m constantly proving myself in this MMA industry. It’s inevitable: I’m coming for that spot.”

Complicating matters is the status of Strikeforce. During last week’s UFC 140 press conference, White announced the promotion was on the verge of a new agreement with Showtime for 2012, meaning talks of Strikeforce’s dissolution into the UFC are on hold, at least for now. Melendez was not able to say if the language of his current multi-fight deal with Strikeforce would allow him an out clause to join the UFC.

“These contracts: they’re meant for us fighters not to understand them,” he said. “I have a lawyer, and hopefully these guys can get a deal and get it going. That’s all I can say about that. I do have a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, and I’m happy with Strikeforce. I don’t know what can be done, but I’m sure these guys have the power to do whatever they want.”

Melendez is correct about the last part. Diaz signed a new Strikeforce contract toward the end of 2010, but it was not difficult for the newly affiliated organizations to allow him into the UFC when demand for a Diaz-Georges St. Pierre showdown increased. Coker himself offered little insight into Melendez’s future, instead choosing to focus on his title defense against Masvidal.

“Obviously, we can’t get into legal verbiage about what’s in the contract and what’s not. Those are all bound by confidentiality provisions,” he said. “What I can say is Gilbert is a great champion, and I personally believe he is the No. 1 fighter in the world. Jorge Masvidal is where his mindset is and where his focus is, and that’s where I think it should stay. What happens after this fight will depend on the outcome of the fight.”

It is hard to fault Melendez for looking ahead, especially when most anyone who sets foot in a cage dreams of eventually putting his skills to the test in the UFC. While his credentials dictate he should take that step, “El Nino” says he will not allow himself to be discouraged if it does not happen soon.

“I’m not trying to sound perfect, but I don’t have time to be negative. I’m grateful to be the main event on Showtime,” he said. “There might be some disappointment if things don’t go my way, but I’ve got nothing to complain about, to be honest.”