Gilbert Melendez would beat Frankie Edgar according to Strikeforce CEO
by Hubert Lau on December 22, 2011

Strikeforce CEO, Scott Coker, believes that Gilbert Melendez would come out on top if he fought UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar, according to mmaweekly.com.

"Believe me, those other guys, I take nothing away from them. Listen, styles make fights, and I'm really looking at Frankie Edgar and Gilbert, that match-up as to who would win that fight and how that fight would look," Coker said when comparing Melendez to other lightweights.

It's not surprising for Coker to feel the way he does especially after Melendez recently defended his Strikeforce lightweight title against the dangerous Jorge Masvidal in a unanimous decision victory. The fact that Melendez is also one of Strikeforce's biggest pay per view draws might be another contributing factor.

"Ben Henderson, Cowboy Cerrone, all those guys are extremely talented, but like I said styles make fights. I think Gilbert and Frankie would be a great fight, but I think Gilbert would come out on top," Coker said.

There is no doubt that Melendez ranks among the best in the sport at 155lb, having been defeated only twice in his 22 fight career. However determining the undisputed top dog of the lightweights will have to wait for the time being, Strikeforce re-signed a deal with Showtime lasting through 2012. As a part of the deal, Melendez would have to remain in Strikeforce, negating any possibility of a UFC career in the near future.

"I believe he is the No. 1 lightweight in the world," Coker said.

 |  (46) Comments GO HARD: I can definately see Gilbert beating Frankie, but i could see Frankie beating Gilly. Its an intriguing matchup and something i hope we all get to see soon. GO HARD: If Gilbert hurt Frankie like Gray did... he would finish him. flyangler: Frankie is better in every area and way faster. I think it would be 50-45 Edgar. Maynard would rag him too. flyangler: What bothers me the most is all the poop talking he and the people around him do. Scott Coker is a schmuck. Until he proves he is a top 5 he need to beat a top 10 opponent in the UFC. He is not getting the best competition. mike5k: I've been back on forth on how good Melendez is for years. At the moment I'm back to thinking that he's not that good. One of the problems with rankings is that he has the Aoki win and Aoki is/was highly ranked. To me, the fact that the fight took place in the U.S. should be factored in because Aoki isn't the same fighter here. Gilbert probably has to be ranked in the top 3 but I'm not sure he's an actual top 10. Wandering_Minstrel: I think Melendez loses to any of the top 5 UFC LWs. mike5k: This is a similar conversation that I was having about Alvarez before he lost to Chandler. Eddie wasn't fighting top competition either but at least he had fought Hansen and Kawajiri (in Japan) when they were both highly ranked. It's tough to say where lightweight guys should be ranked when they fight in different organizations. flyangler: Nate Diaz should be ranked higher than Melendez. Here is how I rank them. I'm not taking into account that Melendez "could" possibly beat any of them, because that is the case for anyone in the UFC. I do feel that everyone I have ranked ahead of him would beat him 8 out of 10 times, and is just basically better. 1. Edgar 2. Henderson 3. Maynard 4. Cerrone 5. Jim Miller 6. Guida 7. Pettis 8. Diaz 9. Melendez 10 Lauzon These fighters all have faced better competition over the last few years and could also beat Melendez Dunham Wiman Guillard Siver Tibau Stout I would love to see Melendez fight Sam Stout for his first fight in the UFC and I don't think he would win.
HOW WILL THE THIAGO ALVES VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN FIGHT END AT UFC ON FX 2?
Alves def. Kampmann via TKO/KO
Alves def. Kampmann via submission
Alves def. Kampmann via decision
Kampmann def. Alves via TKO/KO
Kampmann def. Alves via submission
Kampmann def. Alves via decision
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