Gilbert Melendez relishing opportunity to avenge Nate Diaz against Ben Henderson at UFC on Fox 7

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"When your buddies fight, you can't help but get a little emotional and passionate out there. You're bummed for your friend when he fights, and if you can back your friend up, you will. At that point I was like, 'Give me the opportunity to avenge my friend. Give me the opportunity to fight this dude.'"

-Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez talks to the Las Vegas Sun about his friend and teammate Nate Diaz's loss to Ben Henderson fueling him into UFC on Fox 7 bout.

Penick's Analysis: Obviously that's just one part of Melendez's motivation into this fight, but the fact that he watched Diaz lose a 25-minute fight to Henderson adds something to Saturday's fight for him. Even after his loss in December, Diaz immediately expressed his belief that Melendez would succeed where he failed, and he maintains that Melendez is the best lightweight fighter on the planet. Saturday night marks his chance to prove just that.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16509.shtml

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