Gilbert Melendez's future

Melendez talks about his upcoming fight against Mitsuhiro Ishida on the NYE card in Japan, his potential Strikeforce title defense against Josh Thomson in March in San Jose and his future after his contract with Strikeforce expires:

http://punch.freedomblogging.com/2007/12/03/melendez-to-face-ishida-on-new-years-eve-in-japan/#more-369

The lightweight division is so stacked that the ufc still doesnt have a stranglehold on it like they do in all of the other divisions. There are still a lot of good fighters unsigned by the ufc. The ufc just did a really good job of building that division from within and not importing fighters from other orgs. Dont get me wrong, i would love to see gilbert wreck shop in the ufc, but there are still a lot of great match-ups for him in other orgs. Im just glad that he's fighting consistently again.

Seems like alot of guys would like to go to the UFC but the UFC's exclusive only deals are making it tough. If they were more willing to let guys go to other orgs like the did back in 2003 I bet they would have all the guys they wanted. I think guys might be looking at anderson and saying, "I don't want to end up as the champ with no challengers", when you have shamrock and baroni sitting there who could give anderson a challenge. I totally understand why they don't want to have these fights but that seems to be a concern for alot of top fighters.

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Posted by cmill21

Seems like alot of guys would like to go to the UFC but the UFC's exclusive only deals are making it tough. If they were more willing to let guys go to other orgs like the did back in 2003 I bet they would have all the guys they wanted. I think guys might be looking at anderson and saying, "I don't want to end up as the champ with no challengers", when you have shamrock and baroni sitting there who could give anderson a challenge. I totally understand why they don't want to have these fights but that seems to be a concern for alot of top fighters.

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i dont think that baroni or shamrock would be a good match up for anderson. franky boy proved that an accurate striker can pick baroni apart, which is the definition of anderson silva. and renzo proved that shamrock can be taken down and controlled on the ground, last time i checked anderson was a blackbelt in jiu jitsu. i also believe that the ufc has inked a match up with hendo, he definitely qualifies as a worthy challenger.

but i agree with your comment in principle, just a bad example.

I was just using those two as an example, Lindland, Filho(if they'd fight), Misaki, Lawler, on the outside of the UFC. I would just like to see the UFC loosen up their policy. I'm hearing a rumor that the UFC and K-1 may make their fighters available to each other though

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Posted by cmill21

I was just using those two as an example, Lindland, Filho(if they'd fight), Misaki, Lawler, on the outside of the UFC. I would just like to see the UFC loosen up their policy. I'm hearing a rumor that the UFC and K-1 may make their fighters available to each other though

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Where did that rumor come from. That would be awesome. I find it hard to believe considering how controlling Dana White is, but that would be great. Do you have source?

word. i think i just got a hard on. if i dont get a source i cant finish and im gonna get blue balls.

Meanwhile, a contest between K-1’s Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Rani Yahya, who is contracted to Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting, was announced last week for the Dec. 31 show. The match-up is rumored to mark a fighter lending agreement between Zuffa and K-1 parent company Fight Entertainment Group, which would allow the UFC or WEC to use fighters under contract with the popular Japanese promotion at a later date.

Such an agreement would mean fighters once thought unlikely to compete in the UFC or WEC would be allowed to fight for either organization. In effect, sought-after K-1 fighters like Kang, Yamamoto, Melvin Manhoef and Marcelo Garcia could all fight for the UFC before their respective contracts run out. Kang calls the idea intriguing, as it would open up a number of matchmaking possibilities.

“You still might see me in the UFC. That would be awesome,” Kang said. “You never know with all the deals that are happening. I’d love to fight for them some time.”

Link

About Part way down under the heading "KANG’S STATUS FOR DEC. 31 K-1 SHOW STILL UNCERTAIN"

Not definitive and thats why I wasn't shouting from the roof top, but credible rumour at the very least.

i just ruined my pants.

good find. first ive EVER heard of such a possibility with zuffa. although i had heard of the kid vs rani fight i never put two and two together.

i could be way off with this.. but whats wrong with fighters signing 1 fight contracts, like going on a fight by fight basis? obviously this isnt the way to go about title contenders, but like what if the ufc had kang for 1 fight, and threw him up against rich franklin? Franklin wins, he moves up, gets some well needed confidence and thats that. Kang wins, he moves up and is offered to fight silva IF he signs a 3-4 fight deal. For Kang, that would mean a year or two without spiritMC.. but i think its a fair trade if it means he's given the opportunity to be the ufc middle weight champ right?

Another example, and i know this is far from ideal but.. strip randy of his title, and sign fedor to 1 fight. It's only gonna be 3 rounds unless theres some interm loop-hole that i'm not aware of, but we'd all get that dream match up.. if fedor wins, couture retires.. if couture wins, sign them both to a new 2 fight contract and have the best outta3

i'm a little drunk and sleep deprived.. so i'm just throwin ideas out there.. but is something along these lines that much of a stretch of the imagination?

melendez is doing so well lately , i cant wait to see his results from his next fight

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Posted by cmill21

Meanwhile, a contest between K-1’s Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Rani Yahya, who is contracted to Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting, was announced last week for the Dec. 31 show. The match-up is rumored to mark a fighter lending agreement between Zuffa and K-1 parent company Fight Entertainment Group, which would allow the UFC or WEC to use fighters under contract with the popular Japanese promotion at a later date.

Such an agreement would mean fighters once thought unlikely to compete in the UFC or WEC would be allowed to fight for either organization. In effect, sought-after K-1 fighters like Kang, Yamamoto, Melvin Manhoef and Marcelo Garcia could all fight for the UFC before their respective contracts run out. Kang calls the idea intriguing, as it would open up a number of matchmaking possibilities.

“You still might see me in the UFC. That would be awesome,” Kang said. “You never know with all the deals that are happening. I’d love to fight for them some time.”

Link

About Part way down under the heading "KANG’S STATUS FOR DEC. 31 K-1 SHOW STILL UNCERTAIN"

Not definitive and thats why I wasn't shouting from the roof top, but credible rumour at the very least.

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Thanks MMA Sensei. That's the first I had heard of such a deal. This could really work out for a lot of fighters and matchups.