There was a time, he says, when Gilbert Melendez thought that Eddie Alvarez was the number one lightweight in the world. Now both men are in the UFC and, after years of trying to meet outside of the Octagon, Melendez thinks that Alvarez has lost a step.
“He acts like it’s real personal and stuff,” Melendez said, responding to recent comments from Alvarez that Gilbert doesn’t actually want to fight him. “I just wanted to fight him. I thought he was number one in the world. At this point, I don’t feel that’s the case. I think he’s fallen off the last couple years to be honest.”
The possibility of the fight finally happening is strong, so long as both suffer the same fortune in their upcoming bouts. Should Melendez win the UFC lightweight title from Anthony Pettis and Alvarez beat Donald Cerrone, the fight could be for the belt. If both men lose, it would still seem to be a logical fight.
Either way, Melendez says he’s not afraid of what it means if the two actually do meet in the cage.