What would you say about the career of a professional MMA fighter who has a career record of 20-2 with 11 of those wins coming by knockout?
The first question one would ask would be, who has he fought?
Well, this fighter has beaten Jorge Masvidal (22-7), Tatsuya Kawajiri (31-7), Shinya Aoki (30-6), Josh Thomson (19-4) and Mitsuhiro Ishida (20-8) in his last five fights alone.
That's a very respectable combined opponent record of 122-32. Not one of the fights, however, has taken place within what is now the largest MMA stage in the world.
The fighter we are talking about is of course Gilbert Melendez.
Melendez is ranked by most publications in the top five as far as lightweights go, with many putting him in the top three. He is currently scheduled to face Josh Thomson for the third time in May.
For one reason or another Melendez is not in the UFC. What ends up happening to any fighter who is not in the UFC (in the current era) is that people question the validity of what that fighter has accomplished.
There is no doubt "El Nino" would be an immediate contender in the UFC should he be given the chance. He possesses a very strong chin, great striking and cardio that can run for days.
If Melendez remains with Strikeforce for the remainder of his career, will it effect is legacy? Absolutely.
In fact, should Melendez continue to fight in what is widely considered the "minor leagues" of the UFC, he will not be brought up by many when the topic of best lightweight in the world is discussed.
For Gilbert to be considered the best lightweight in the world, he needs to fight the lightweights on the UFC roster. Until then we will continue to place him in theoretical matchups and wonder how good he really is.
Melendez is currently on a six-fight win streak and continues to improve as his career has progressed. Unfortunately, he will not be recognized the way he deserves to be until he is removed from Strikeforce and placed into the UFC.
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