– Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that former UFC lightweight title contender Gilbert Melendez has agreed to a multi-fight, multi-year deal structure with Bellator. While the UFC currently holds matching rights on Melendez, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney spoke about Melendez possibly competing in the organization.
“The moment Gil was legally able to explore the free agent market, Gil’s management team reached out to me and we began figuring out how to bring Gil to Bellator,” said Rebney. “It’s no secret that I’ve been a big ‘El Nino’ fan for many years. Gil was one of the first fighters I tried to sign when I launched Bellator back in 2008, and he’s grown and developed into one of the best and most exciting lightweights on earth. Gil has a vision for what he wants to accomplish both inside and outside the cage and we can help make his vision a reality. We are in the business of developing and showcasing the greatest fighters on earth. That’s what we intend to do here with Gil and it’s what we’ll continue to do in the future.”
– As noted earlier, UFC President Dana White said that he recently offered Alistair Overeem a fight against Junior dos Santos, which he declined. Dana asserted that Overeem was ducking Dos Santos, and Overeem responded, claiming that he couldn’t accept the fight due to a rib injury. Speaking to MMA Junkie, White mocked Overeem’s claim.
“I have a feeling this rib injury is going to last as long as it takes for dos Santos to get another opponent,” White said. “That’s what I’m willing to bet. This is going to be the longest rib injury ever. As soon as we get dos Santos a fight that rib is going to heal right up.
“[Overeem] marches his f—ing ass in here. Tells us how much he’s worth. He’s worth all this money, he’s the best heavyweight in the world, he’s going to be the champion, and he doesn’t want to f—ing fight anybody. I bet you his f—ing rib wouldn’t be hurting if we got Brock Lesnar, bet you his rib would be fine… did anybody hear anything about a rib injury until I offered him dos Santos two different ways?”
– UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi takes place Saturday night from Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. The main card airs live on FOX Sports 1 at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT. The weigh-ins were conducted this afternoon, here are the results:
MAIN CARD
Gegard Mousasi (186) vs. Lyoto Machida (185)
Francis Carmont (185) vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (185)
Takenori Sato (170) vs. Erick Silva (170)
Nico Musoke (170) vs. Viscardi Andrade (170)
Andy Ogle (146) vs. Charles Oliveira (143)
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Joe Proctor (155) vs. Cristiano Marcello (156)
Ivan Jorge (156) vs. Rodrigo Damm (156)
Jesse Ronson (156) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (155)
Wilson Reis (135) vs. Iuri Alcantara (136)
Maximo Blanco (145*) vs. Felipe Arantes (146)
Albert Tumenov (170) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (171)
Zubaira Tukhugov (146) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (145)
* Blanco made weight on his second attempt after weighing in at 147.9 on his first try
