Gilbert Melendez knows he did enough to win, wants a hefty pay rise if a fourth fight is on the cards down the line
Strikeforce lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez has been giving his thoughts on his split decision win last night over Josh Thomson in San Jose, California, explaining he knows he did enough to pick up the victory and if you want to see the two of them do it for a fourth time then he wants a massive rise in salary.
Speaking to the press after the fight, Melendez said:
“I feel good. I know I won that fight. I know Josh was huffing and puffing a lot more than I was. I wasn’t really tired. I just couldn’t let the inner beast out for some reason. It’s tough [to hold Thomson down]. It takes a lot of energy. I think if I had done more takedowns and made him get up more that it might have been easier, but it’s tough to hold a guy down.”
On what’s next including talk of a fourth fight with “The Punk”, Melendez added:
“I won the trilogy. This was supposed to be the end of this. Everybody was like, ‘Let’s settle this once and for all.’ Didn’t we settle it? [Laughs] If you guys want to pay me triple or double, we’ll talk. You guys tell me [whom to fight next]. I’m proud to be a part of Showtime and Strikeforce. I’m going to keep holding the throne.”
Melendez is one of a number of fighters Showtime insisted on staying with Strikeforce when Zuffa bought them out in order to keep the interest levels relatively high as the brand continues to do business. The big question is with challengers at 155 pound drying up faster than the Las Vegas desert how long will “El Nino” remain happy with this little arrangement? Tell us what you think…
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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Photo by Esther Lin – STRIKEFORCE
