MMA Top 10 Lightweights: Gilbert Melendez Makes His Case

Gilbert Melendez thinks he's the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. Is he right? I don't think so, not yet. But I sure would love to find out.

The best thing about the UFC buying Strikeforce is that it means we'll eventually see the champions of the respective promotions fighting each other. For now the mantra is "business as usual," but we all know it's just a matter of time before we see the best of Strikeforce inside the Octagon. And there might not be a better fight out there than Melendez taking on the top of the UFC lightweight division.

It will probably be 2012 before we get to see that: UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar has to fight Gray Maynard in May, and the winner of that fight is expected to fight the winner of the June Anthony Pettis-Clay Guida bout after that. But it sure would be fun to see Melendez retiring the Strikeforce belt to his trophy case and fighting for the UFC gold.

Find out where I think Melendez stacks up in the lightweight division below.

(Editor's Note: The fighter's rankings the last time we ranked the lightweights are in parentheses.)

1. Frankie Edgar (1): The UFC champion remains at the top of the heap at least until he fights Gray Maynard at UFC 130. The third meeting between the two will, I hope, tell us once and for all which one of them is really the superior fighter.

2. Gray Maynard (2): Maynard could certainly make the argument that he actually deserves to be ranked ahead of Edgar, since Maynard beat Edgar the first time these two fought. I'll stick with Edgar for now because Edgar's overall lightweight resume is more impressive, but these two are basically equals.

3. Gilbert Melendez (4): Now that Melendez has destroyed Tatsuya Kawajiri, I think he's behind only the UFC lightweight champion and No. 1 contender. I love watching Melendez because he's so active and tenacious: He took the fight to Kawajiri and showed off a great killer instinct in finishing him with the recently legalized elbows to the head on the ground. The question now is whether any lightweights on the Strikeforce roster can even be viewed as credible threats to Melendez, or if he's going to have to start fighting guys in the UFC.

4. Kenny Florian (3): For now, I'd pick Florian to beat just about any lightweight in the sport. But Florian has lost two lightweight title fights and doesn't appear close to getting a third chance, so he plans to drop down to featherweight and pursue the belt there. When he does move down to featherweight, I'll take him down the lightweight list -- and I expect him to quickly rise up the featherweight ranks.

5. Shinya Aoki (5): There really wasn't any question that Aoki would make quick work of Lyle Beerbohm, but there are a lot of questions about Aoki's future: Will he stay with Strikeforce and keep fighting second-rate opponents? Will he go back to Japan and try to be a part of revitalizing the MMA scene in his homeland? Will he finally step into the Octagon?

6. Jim Miller (8): It's time for Miller to take a major step up in competition: His 20-2 record consists of wins against a bunch of guys who aren't even close to the Top 10, and losses to the two best in the world, Edgar and Maynard. Ideally I'd love to see Miller against Melendez or Aoki, but if we're not going to get UFC-Strikeforce crossover fights yet, Miller probably will continue fighting overmatched opponents outside the Top 10.

7. Eddie Alvarez (7): The Bellator champ is a lot of fun to watch, but it's going to be awfully tough for him to move up in the rankings as long as he remains in Bellator, which just doesn't have any elite opposition for him to face. Alvarez may have the talent to beat anyone at 155 pounds, but he's probably going to have to sign with the UFC if he wants to prove it.

8. Anthony Pettis (10): The thing that's so exciting about Pettis is that he's doing so many new things at such a young age. It's not just the "Showtime Kick," although that's obviously what he's best known for: It's a combination of creative striking and an aggressive ground game, especially off his back, that makes Pettis different from any other fighter in the lightweight division. The 24-year-old Pettis is the youngest fighter on this list and is only getting better.

9. Clay Guida (NR): Guida has always been a fan favorite because of his brawling style, but it's been somewhat overlooked that his technique, especially on the ground, has noticeably improved in the last year. Guida is now on a three-fight winning streak, and if he makes it four in a row against Pettis, a title shot could be next.

10. Tatsuya Kawajiri (9): Kawajiri has had some great wins in his MMA career, but he was simply no match for Melendez. At age 32, he appears to be on the down side of his career, but there are still some fun fights for him: I'd still love to see a rematch of the classic 2005 Pride fight between Kawajiri and Takanori Gomi.

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Bellator Books Top Prospect Tony Johnson vs. Carlos Flores

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

Whether the Bellator Fighting Championships can carve out a niche for itself and survive in the UFC-dominated world of American mixed martial arts is an open question. But there's no question at all that Bellator continues to sign talented fighters.

Heavyweight Tony Johnson is the latest acquisition to demonstrate just how good Bellator is at attracting top fighters: Bellator formally announced Thursday that Johnson has signed, and that he'll fight the 4-0 Carlos Flores at Bellator 41 on April 16.

"Tony is a fighter we have had our eye on for quite some time," Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney said. "He's one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world right now, and will make a great addition to our already impressive heavyweight lineup."

Calling Johnson one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world isn't just a promoter's hyperbole: The 25-year-old Johnson is 5-1 in his MMA career, with the only loss coming to Strikeforce's Daniel Cormier. He's an outstanding athlete, has a good wrestling background, and Bloody Elbow just called him the No. 3 heavyweight prospect in MMA.

Johnson said he's already eying a shot at Bellator's heavyweight champion, Cole Konrad.

"I definitely want to be a part of the next Bellator Heavyweight Tournament," Johnson said. "I think it would be a great opportunity for me. It would mean everything to me to become the next Bellator heavyweight champion. ... I plan on getting better and better every time I enter that cage."

With young heavyweights like Johnson and Konrad, who are already good and getting better, it's hard not to like the future of Bellator, in terms of the quality of the fighters in the cage. The only question is whether we should like the future of Bellator in terms of the ability of the promotion to draw TV audiences, attract ticket buyers and make enough money to stay in business.

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The first list of 24 Top Pro Skateboarders invited to compete at Maloof Money Cup

The Maloof Money Cup released the first set of 24 skaters invited to compete at the New York and DC stops with some skateboarding legends headlining, but also some very notable names left off the list. ??Since Rob Dyrdek announced last month they were having skaters sign an exclusive compete contract to only skate in Street League and X Games, the questioned remained which skaters were going to choose which contest.

The first invite list from MMC includes legends like Geoff Rowley, Andrew Reynolds, Dennis Busenitz accompanied by a rich pool of young talent. No shortage of talented skaters will be on display in New York and DC.

But what will be missing from the Maloof Money Cup are mainstream names like Ryan Sheckler, Paul Rodriquez, Chas Ortiz, Sean Malto, and Eric Koston who all appear to be competing in Street League.

The biggest surprise to this list has to be the absence of Chris Cole, a defending three-time winner of the MMC 100,000 prize purse. One would assume his loyalties would be with the Maloofs, after all, the contest has definitely been good to him.

Last year as the rumors about the exclusive contract began to make news; Joe Maloof offered a $1 million bonus to any skater who won four straight Maloof Money Cup contests. That was an obvious statement toward Cole who has won the past three contests.

Dyrdek the founder of Street League as since come out and said, Cole will be the exception, he'll be allowed to compete in NYC at the Maloof Money cup for a shot at four in a row and the million dollar bonus. "We're not going to stop Chris Cole from getting a million dollars, and then he's right back in Street League, and all the other skaters are for it," Dyrdek said.

After glancing over the initial list of riders for both contests, the real winners are the fans. The sport continues to grow and we are all benefiting from it. We now have the chance to watch two different contests with different skaters with different formats all push their skateboarding for huge prize purses.

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

Here's a list of the first 24 invited skaters:

Alex Olson
Andrew Reynolds
Anthony Van Engelen
Arto Saari
Austyn Gillette
Bastien Salabanzi
Brandon Westgate
Brian Anderson
Bryan Herman
Chris Haslam
Chris Pfanner
David Gravette
Dennis Busenitz
Garrett Hill
Geoff Rowley
Grant Taylor
Greg Lutzka
Justin Brock
Leo Romero
Lizard King
Sierra Fellers
Tom Asta
Tony Trujillo
Vincent Alvarez

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Ben Olsen Q&A

United boss on the team's progress, summer transfers, and his love for the Black-and-Red

Spend 15 minutes discussing D.C. United with Ben Olsen, and you can learn quite a lot about the Black-and-Red. United's Head Coach has been preparing his team diligently for Saturday's rematch with 2010 MLS Cup Champion Colorado following a harrowing 4-1 defeat at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in early April. Despite that loss, United (3-4-2, 11 points) has begun to forge a collective identity, and Olsen states that the team is right where he expected it to be heading into the 2011 season.�

Olsen discusses United's progress on the pitch, summer transfer speculation, and how he has navigated the transition from the locker room to the coaches' bench. Ultimately it is clear that Olsen's love for D.C. United is as strong as it was during his accomplished playing career, and he won't rest until the Black-and-Red have re-established the club's proud winning tradition.�

Give us a quick progress report on your team. How has the club evolved since preseason training camp?

I think we're about where I thought we'd be at this point [in the season]. If you told me at the beginning that we'd have the record we have at this point with the effort we've displayed so far, I would have been happy. We've taken some strong steps and we've had games where we've had to learn hard lessons, but we've also produced good moments at times and produced good results. I think that is to be expected in a young group, the important thing is to get better throughout the season and I think we're in great shape to achieve our goal - making the [MLS Cup] Playoffs.�

Have you been pleased with the effort and tenacity that you have seen from the group?

I think our effort can be better - I think at times it's been good enough, but at other times we've let it slip. Those times where we have let our emotional level slip, we've had our worst games, our worst results. That's the lesson here - in this League, if you don't have that constant intensity and focus you will be punished. If you do have it, you can make Playoffs and put yourself in a position to hold trophies. We're a good enough soccer team, we have enough good players, that if we bring commitment we can do good things, not only in the next couple of years, but throughout this season as well.

Reflecting back on the 2010 offseason, there were a flurry of player acquisitions. Many of those new players have made a significant impact on this year's team. How is the group coming together?

I'm very pleased with our progress coming together. We all knew this was going to be a process. When you bring that many new guys in, it takes time for them to gel on the field. I've been happy with their willingness to get better and to hold each other accountable, and at times I've been happy with the way we've played and entertained on the field. There's a lot of room to grow with this group, but we're about where I'd thought we'd be. The important thing now is to learn from the lessons that were taught early in the season, and to keep getting better. If we continue to grow, we will make the Playoffs - that is our goal.�

The on-field relationship between Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff seems to paying dividends. What are your thoughts on their partnership?

Ned Dishman/Getty Images

There are important relationships all over the field. There are midfield relationships, defensive pairings, etc. Your strike partnerships are always very important. Josh [Wolff] and Charlie [Davies] have gotten better the more they've played with each other, and that's a good sign. I expect them to get even more fine-tuned as they get more minutes together, and hopefully that will come out of the process. I think they compliment each other well - with Wolffy, he helps us on the field and he helps us off the field with a young group. Charlie is Charlie, he's a special player that thrives on the big stage.�

You mention the other relationships between players across the field, what are your thoughts on United's central midfield combinations? Recently Stephen King showed well against Seattle and FC Dallas, while Clyde Simms has featured for much of the season alongside Dax McCarty.�

I think we're beginning to nail down a pretty consistent starting 11, but I feel very confident in the depth of this group. Even though we might get to a point where we have a consistent lineup, I'm able to use different guys because I have trust in those players. I think [Stephen] King is a little bit more comfortable going forward than Clyde [Simms], but Clyde gives us maybe a little bit more experience in defense. That's the beautiful thing about the game, guys like King, Fred, Santino [Quaranta], Joe [Ngwenya], and [Chris] Korb - they all give us something different and have all positively contributed to the season so far.�

With Branko Boskovic out for the indefinite future, do you feel the need to replace his playmaking ability in the summer transfer window?

Tony Quinn/dcunited.com

We're always looking to get better. I'm sure there will be some kind of addition to our group during the summer. We hope it's a very good player, we hope it's someone that can get us to the next level. We'll definitely miss [Branko] Boskovic. He's one of the best passers on the field, and he's a threat on free kicks. He's a very good player and he was just about coming into his best form when he got injured. It's a very unfortunate situation, but you move on, this is a business and people get hurt. Fortunately we're pretty deep in midfield, maybe not everyone has the quality and vision that [Boskovic] had on the field to make others better around him, but we've got some good capabilities.�

You have one of the youngest teams in MLS, but despite that fact you have been receiving strong contributions from rookies and Homegrown players. What are your thoughts on United's young core?

I've been pleased with the progress of our [young] guys, but I want more. The reality is they're playing, those guys are on the field for a reason and we expect them to do well. I don't look at them as teenagers, I view them as players that help this team that need to get better just like everyone else. We're a young team, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable to have ups and downs. Week-in and week-out, we need to continually bring the focus. It's not just on gameday, but it's throughout the week. Our young players have been very good throughout their approach about being professionals. Guys like Ethan [White], Conor [Shanosky], Perry [Kitchen], Andy [Najar] - it's a good group that is coming together. Even the older guys on this team are 24 and 25, and I'm still very excited about the next couple of years and helping this group become what I think can be a very special team.�

How are you finding your own progress as a Head Coach? What has stuck out to you most during your transition from the locker room to the coaches' office?

I find this job to be very rewarding, I feel that it's challenging, and I feel very fortunate to be in this spot. I want to do well because this club means a lot to me. There's a lot of added pressure that I put on myself because of what this club means to me, not only in this job, but on top of that I love this organization. I love what this club is about, it's been very good to me, and I wanted to return the favor by rewarding the fans, the players, and everyone else here. I want them to feel success and to raise trophies like I did during my time in a D.C. United uniform.�

What are your thoughts on the Colorado match this weekend? Obviously the team had a difficult contest at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on April 3, what will your approach be for the return leg?

Our approach is similar to any other game we go into. We've done our research, we break them down and make sure that our team knows what they're about and what we need to do to get a result. [Colorado] is very experienced; they're the champs. They've had some injuries, but that just means you bring in guys that are hungry to get spots. Their guys up front are a handful and will be full of energy, and their back eight is very experienced. Add [Matt] Pickens in there, and they have experience in goal as well. They are a difficult team and they know each other very well, but we're at home and we want to get three points. We felt like we lost two [points] on the weekend against Dallas, and this game is very important.�

With the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster deadline looming (May 21), what are you expecting in terms of personnel departures during the month of June for that tournament?

We knew going into the season we might miss some guys for Gold Cup - that's why we wanted to build depth into this group. Obviously we're going to miss some guys - how many, we don't know yet. I think it's a good sign that our players will be called-up, you want your players being recognized for international service because that means your players are doing pretty well and have a lot of pride in this. The bad part is that you lose some players, but I have faith in the guys that will step up to do the job.�

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Training notes: United ready for Colorado

MLS CUP CHAMPIONS COME TO RFK

D.C. United (3-4-2, 11 points) hopes to remain unbeaten in its three-game MLS May home stand as 2010 MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids (4-3-2, 14 points) come into RFK Stadium following a scoreless draw against the New England Revolution on May 7. United remained unbeaten in two outings last week, after battling FC Dallas to a scoreless draw on Saturday, May 7.

The tie came only four days after defeating Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 on Wednesday, May 4 behind goals from Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff. A victory on Saturday night could see United climb as high as second place in Major League Soccer?s Eastern Conference, as Colorado looks to vault into first place in the Western Conference table with a win.

LAST TIME OUT

Colorado defeated D.C. United 4-1 at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park earlier this season on Sunday, April 3 in League action. The Rapids were the beneficiaries of two goals from newly-signed Caleb Folan. After Folan?s first goal in the 39th minute, United squared the game in the 70th minute on a volley by Santino Quaranta, but Colorado?s Jamie Smith answered immediately with a header that beat goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Folan then scored his second goal in the 81st minute, followed by an Omar Cummings strike in the 92nd minute to preserve the home victory. Niether Folan or Cummings will play tomorrow, as both are out through injury, leaving Conor Casey as a likely frontline threat for the Rapids.�

LINEUP CHANGES

D.C. United?s current starting lineup looks far different from the lineup that played in the loss to Colorado on April 3. Most notably, United was without the services of current MLS goal leader, Charlie Davies, who missed the first match due to a groin injury, as well as goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

The Black-and-Red?s backline has also changed, as the club has enjoyed strong performances of late from rookie defenders Perry Kitchen and Ethan White, along with veterans Dejan Jakovic and Daniel Woolard. Three of those four did not play in the last Colorado match, as Kitchen was on duty with the U-20 U.S. National Team, Jakovic was suspended, and White was still being implemented into the lineup.

ALL-TIME RESULTS

United is 16-13-6 all-time against Colorado in MLS regular season play, with a significant 10-3-4 advantage at RFK Stadium in those contests. In the all-time series, the Black-and-Red have scored 35 times, while only allowing 15 goals in Washington, D.C.

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Ben Askren, Jay Hieron and Michael Chandler Win at Bellator 40

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren won a one-sided unanimous decision in a non-title match, and Jay Hieron and Michael Chandler advanced to the finals of their respective Season 4 tournaments on Saturday night at Bellator 40.

As is so often the case, Bellator put on an entertaining show on MTV2, but it will be largely overlooked because it took place on a night when there was a bigger MMA event going on in the Strikeforce card on Showtime. That's a shame for Bellator, which is putting good fighters in the cage consistently.

Askren is one of the best wrestlers in MMA, and it was no surprise that he completely dominated Nick Thompson. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Askren, who's the best welterweight outside the UFC and Strikeforce.

Hieron won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Brent Weedman to advance to the finals of Bellator's welterweight tournament. Weedman dropped Hieron with a punch just 25 seconds into the first round and then mounted him on the ground, and in the early going it appeared that Weedman was going to pull the upset.

But as the fight wore on Hieron was able to do just enough to grind out a close decision, as all three judges scored it 29-28 for Hieron, who will fight Rick Hawn in the welterweight tournament final.

In a semifinal bout in Bellator's lightweight tournament, Chandler grinded his way to a unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Lloyd Woodard. Chandler started the fight on a furious pace, charging forward with punches and then body slamming Woodard to the canvas, and although Woodard was game throughout, it was Chandler who was more aggressive and generally controlled the pace of the fight. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Chandler, as did I.

Now Chander, who improved his professional MMA record to 7-0, will prepare to fight Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in the lightweight tournament final in what should be an excellent fight.

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