Dana White: Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez is headed to the UFC, ASAP by Dann Stupp and Christian Stein on Oct 02, 2011 at 6:00 am ET WASHINGTON, D.C. – Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez's days in the organization appear over. The standout lightweight will join the UFC's roster "ASAP," according to UFC president Dana White. A debut date and opponent haven't been determined, but White said it'll happen sooner rather than later. And if the timing is right, it could lead to an immediate UFC title shot. "Yeah, we do want to bring Gilbert Melendez over, and we're looking at it right now," White said following Saturday's UFC on Versus 6 event at Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center. "We're looking to bring Gilbert Melendez over ASAP." White, who also said Strikeforce heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) is likely to return to the organization, spoke definitively about the Melendez (19-2 MMA, 9-1 SF) move for the first time ever. After the UFC purchased Strikeforce earlier this year, he hinted at the possibility but stopped short of saying there was a concrete plan. However, Melendez, who recently cracked the top 10 in the media-voted Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, now is making the move. Melendez, an early WEC fighter who's fought with Strikeforce and PRIDE since early 2006, is carrying a five-fight win streak with wins over notables such as Josh Thomson, Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Currently, he's slated to fight Jorge Masvidal in a Dec. 17 title fight, though it's not clear how a possible move to the UFC could affect those plans. White, though, isn't counting out the possibility that Melendez could get an immediate title shot in the UFC. While he's earned top-contender status on merit, White said it'll depend more on the timing of the title picture, which gets some clarity next weekend when UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar takes on Gray Maynard. "[The title shot] is a possibility," he said. "The thing is with that division, it's so stacked, there are a lot of possibilities. "We'll see what happens with the timing."
After the HW Final, I think it's pointless to keep Strikeforce around. With Melendez, their 3 most popular champions are fighting in the UFC next. That being said, I love the Strikeforce Challengers. It will suck to see that go away. It's a great way to develop fighters south of the big show.
melendez, another guy i'd like to see lose. i hope they throw him in against guida in a rematch as his first ufc bout.
There is no point but like you said the challengers series is pretty awesome and good for new talent We can watch new guys grow and progress just like we watch guys on friday night fights and on boxing after dark and things like that.
