At a press conference in support of “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal,” Gilbert Melendez notes Frankie Edgar did a good job defending his belt at UFC 136.
But he scrunches his face a bit in a way that says there’s something else on his mind.
The truth, found beside the podium after the gathering, is that he’s salivating at a chance to beat the UFC champ.
“If you can find that target, it looks like you could put him on the ground,” Melendez told MMAjunkie.com. “We need someone to find that target more than once, and I think I could find that target.”
At the moment, his thoughts are academic. A UFC title shot is not next. What’s next is a defense of his Strikeforce belt, and it could be the toughest fight of his life.
“The biggest motivation is fighting a guy who’s underrated that I’m supposed to smash,” Melendez (19-2 MMA, 9-1 SF) said. “It’s not for the fans; this is for myself to overcome this. I have nothing to gain here.”
Jorge Masvidal (22-6 MMA, 4-0 SF) isn’t confirmed as the final opponent of Melendez’s reign in Strikeforce, which includes 10 fights and three stints as the undisputed and interim lightweight champion. But by all indications, a win over Masvidal would earn him a contract with the UFC, and maybe, an immediate shot at Edgar.
So there is the promise of a new chapter in Melendez’s career, and also the threat of becoming an also-ran.
“I think I can prove a lot to myself if I can handle this business right here,” he said. “This is where everyone supposedly chokes. Am I going to choke? We’ll find out.”
Melendez attempts to make the fourth defense of his current undisputed belt at “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal,” which takes place Dec. 17 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The event’s main card airs live on Showtime.
The champion said there were four days in which he thought UFC president Dana White might pluck him from the Dec. 17 booking for an immediate shot at Edgar, whose immediate prospects dwindled following UFC 136. The UFC president said he wanted Melendez in the octagon “ASAP” and hinted he might not wait for the result of the winter fight. Melendez had signed his bout agreement but assumed it could be torn up if White wanted it so.
When the UFC officially announced the Dec. 17 headliner this past week – almost two months after MMAjunkie.com initially reported its possibility – his task was set.
“I thought, and I still do think, that it makes sense for me to be [in the UFC],” Melendez said. “But with that put away, it’s gone in my head, and now it’s focusing on this guy.”
Masvidal is an eight-year veteran of the sport who’s managed to rebound from earlier career heartbreaks to win a pair of key victories in Strikeforce. In March, he outpointed the meticulously groomed Billy Evangelista, and in June, he outpointed onetime welterweight title challenger K.J. Noons.
The win over Noons confirmed to Melendez that he and Masvidal would meet sooner than later.