Gil Melendez not bolting to the UFC
Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez doesn’t yet know when he’ll fight next, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says it won’t not…
Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez doesn’t yet know when he’ll fight next, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says it won’t not be in the UFC.
“Right now, there are no other fighters that are going to go over there,” Coker said. “We expect him to continue fighting in Strikeforce and getting ready for a fight in the fall.
“Personally, I think all these guys should fight each other. But where and when, if that happens, it will be down the line. We’re going to keep everything separate for right now.”
“When Nick was working his way over to the UFC, we had talks with Cesar. It was quite a process. That was a very unique situation because of the boxing allowance – that we allowed him to box. That’s how it ended up working out the way it did.
“The idea was to keep him in MMA, and Nick used that as a little chip. … Gilbert doesn’t have a boxing provision in his agreement.”
Jorge Masvidal established himself as a top contender with a recent decision win over former EliteXC champion K.J. Noons. While Coker in June called Masvidal a “frontrunner” for a shot at Melendez, the Strikeforce exec insists the fight is still not official.
