FiveKnuckles.com: Did Josh have you on the ropes at any time in the fight?

Gilbert Melendez: I never felt like I was on the ropes, but I got hit a couple times. That just comes with the territory (laughs). A few punches rang my bell, but nothing that put me in any danger or got me off my game. Honestly, I was so tuned in; I didn't let anything bother me.

FiveKnuckles.com: Well, it was plain to see that you both finished the fight with the same energy level you had in the first round. Could you have gone 10 rounds if that was the case?

Gilbert Melendez: (Laughs) You know what, we actually thought about that. Maybe title fights should be six or seven rounds, but in all actuality, five rounds are more than enough. I'll admit it at this point, but after the fight was over and I let down my focus and my guard, I was very exhausted. I just wanted to sit down. I needed water; I didn't want to talk much at all. I was spent; so five rounds should probably be the limit. Seven rounds are certainly possible, ten rounds might be too, but the pace would slow down substantially and there won't be as much action. A fight would eventually turn into a boxing match if it drags on too long.

That night, I was ready for an extra round if necessary. If for some strange reason the judges said we needed to go an extra round for a tie breaker, I was ready. I would have done anything to get my title back.

FiveKnuckles.com: With everything that factors into a battle like that, what motivates you to fight to the finish; because your body takes such a beating on every level?

Gilbert Melendez: This sport isn't for the weak. You always hear people say "dare to be great." You have to dare to be great in MMA. For me, I get so caught up in the moment because this is my career and my drive is to be the best out there. After I lost to Josh the first time, I promised myself that I would come back. I've put too much into my career to come up short. On December 19, it all came down to that moment. I always tell myself it's just twenty-five minutes of my life. At the break of the round, I kept telling myself, "twenty-five minutes... just twenty-five minutes of my life." If I give it my all for twenty-five minutes and leave it all out there, I know I can get through it.

When I'm out there, I don't feel like I'm going at it alone. I feel like its two-hundred against ten. I have a lot of friends, family, and prayers behind me and a ton of support. If you were in the stadium that night, you would've been able to tell that there was a lot of emotion involved with that fight. There was a lot of hard work on both ends and that was the recipe for the war that everyone saw. I just love what I do and I'm on a...