Gilbert Melendez to Defend Strikeforce Title Against Jorge Masvidal in Late Fall

Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez will defend the lightweight title against Jorge Masvidal at a Strikeforce event that is likely for November or December, MMAFighting reported Friday.

Melendez (19-2) made his latest title defense with a first-round TKO of Tatsuya Kawajiri in April for his fifth-straight win, while Masvidal (22-6) earned a shot at the belt with a unanimous decision over KJ Noons in June.

Strikeforce has not announced any major events after its Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals card on September 10 in Cincinnati, but is expected to host another event on Showtime before the end of the year that would feature Melendez-Masvidal.

I got el niño winning via tko was really awesome the way he beat kawajiri via brutal elbows I admit hes probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite lightweight Alvarez being number 1

you guys know masdival used to fight in the streets like kimbo .. he beat the shit outa kimbos protégé twice

didnt he beat him twice

I think Semtex ran through this guy. This fight is LAME!!

Dont get me wrong, he did look good against KJ. But cmon they throwing this guy to the wolves. They just need to merge the shit cause guys like Gil r getting played. He's not getting tested on a consistent basis.

yeah semtex beat him he looked good against kj brutal ass knees i think it will be a good fight aka gil beating via tko

yeah but that was at 170 dist ... and alex i did say twice .. i think masvidal will put on a good fight