Gilbert Melendez: I am the guy to beat
MA: What is your predication between Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Cyborg Santos on Jan 29th Strikeforce card? My prediction is…
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MA: What is your predication between Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Cyborg Santos on Jan 29th Strikeforce card?
My prediction is Nick Diaz by stand up or jiu-jitsu. He is better all around. They both don’t like to wrestle or do takedowns. Nick by whatever the heck he wants. I see it not going past three rounds. I think he is going finish him. I definitely don’t think it’s going to go five rounds.
MA: At what point has the sport of MMA become the business of MMA for you?
Well, I have reached my goals and I say about now. Now more than ever, it’s been the business for me. At a time I was number two in the world or top five in the world, number one at 145 in 2006.
In 2007, I lost a couple of fights and I had to sit back and make a decision… Is this going to be my career or something I just did for the heck of it? After my second loss, I decided to make it my career. It’s been my career since then. I would say since my last fight I beat the number two guy; I am top ten again and in the pound for pound list. From here on out I just want big fights and I want to get paid. Its business now I have reached my goals. I want to stay on top.
MA: You have expressed that you feel you have cleaned out your division. How do you deal with your loyalty to Strikeforce and your desire to fight the best?
I tell you what. I think I already fought the best. And some of the best in the UFC, it’s not like those guys are anything special or more special than the guys I have already beat. It just happens they’re in the UFC which is a popular organization.
To be honest, these guys need to come fight me. Who are they to say I should go there. I have been in the sport longer than any of these guys: than Frankie Edgar…Gray Maynard. I won in Japan against fifty thousand people booing me. I have traveled; these guys have never fought internationally. I have put myself in the shittiest positions ever. For me to say I should go there and fight them? I am done with that. Those guys need to come over here and fight me. They need to fight me … period! I am the guy to beat. They’re not the guys to beat. It just so happens they are under the UFC banner, so they get a little bit more love because of that.
