Gilbert Melendez versus Jim Miller for the Strikeforce lightweight title?
Not so fast.
"There's going to be a lot of rumors flying back and forth, around fights and what's going to happen, but they're not based on fact," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said in an interview on the Savage Dog Show.
"They're just based on rumors and people just trying to start a story or keep legs on the story. The truth is there has not been any dialogue on that."
After an impressive first-round TKO win over Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley, Melendez talked about his hopes of unifying the Strikeforce and UFC titles.
Most consider UFC champ Frankie Edgar and contender Gray Maynard as the top two lightweights in the world, but Melendez's recent stroke of dominance over world class fighters definitely puts him in the mix.
While there isn't anything concrete in terms of future plans, Coker believes cross-promotional bouts will happen. It's just a matter of time.
"The truth is we haven't sat down and really mapped out a game plan to the length of when these fights will happen," stated Coker. "I don't really have a response to that, but I think at some point, these fights will happen. And I think they should happen. It's just a matter of when and not if."
The general consensus is that all of the best fighters are in the UFC. While the UFC boasts the largest stable of world-class fighters, there is a plethora of talent scattered throughout other organizations. Strikeforce has world-class champions in Melendez, Nick Diaz, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem.
Any hardcore fan would love to see these guys compete against upper-echelon UFC fighters.
As for Melendez, some remain skeptical of his championship chances in the big show, but Coker truly believes "El Nino" can bring the thunder if given the opportunity.
"I think that Gilbert will be able to hold his own and prove to the world that he is the No. 1 fighter in the world," said Coker. "I've been feeling that he's the No. 1 lightweight in the world for the last 18 months or the last year at least. I think if you look at his performance over Kawajiri—I think it's well-deserved."
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