Melendez: To the common fan I am 0-0
“People are going to get all the dream fights they wanted,” said then Strikeforce lightweight champion Gil Melendez in April…
“People are going to get all the dream fights they wanted,” said then Strikeforce lightweight champion Gil Melendez in April 2011, weeks after Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, had purchased Strikeforce.
Two years, three Strikeforce title defenses and one year-long layoff later, Melendez is getting his dream fight — a crack at UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the UFC on FOX 7 headliner at HP Pavilion in San Jose Saturday night.
“To the common fan, I’m 0-0,” said Melendez told news reporters this week. Hardcore MMA fans might know who he is and what he has done regardless of how this fight turns out, he said, but to everyone else, “If I win, it will legitimize everything. If I don’t, it won’t.”
Fans say they want super fights. Here’s one, right under our noses. If you miss it, you might not see another for a long time, and the wait can be excruciating. Just ask Melendez.
So what do you think UG? Anyone here think Melendez is 0-0?