Gilbert Melendez stays with UFC, will coach 'TUF 20' opposite Anthony Pettis, fight for belt
Despite agreeing to an offer from Bellator MMA, Gilbert Melendez (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will still fight for the UFC.
UFC officials today announced Melendez has agreed to a new contract with the world’s largest MMA promotion and will now coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ opposite current lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC). The two will then meet later this year for the UFC’s 155-pound belt.
Terms of Melendez’s deal were not disclosed.
Earlier this month, Bellator MMA officials announced then-free-agent Melendez had agreed to a multi-fight deal. However, the UFC retained matching rights on the contract and has now apparently exercised that clause.
Meanwhile, Pettis earned the title with an incredible first-round submission win over then-champ Benson Henderson at August’s UFC 164 event. However, knee injuries have since kept “Showtime†on the sidelines, and the champ was forced to withdraw from a planned December defense against Josh Thomson.
“The Ultimate Fighter 20″ begins filming in May and as previously reported will feature the launch of the promotion’s women’s strawweight division. The winner of the season, which debuts Sept. 10 on FOX Sports 1, will become the first UFC women’s 115-pound champion. As MMAjunkien previously announced, the UFC has already signed some of the world’s best fighters for the series, including Carla Esparza, Alex Chambers, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Bec Hyatt, Emily Kagan, Juliana Lima, Rose Namajunas, Tecia Torres, Paige VanZant and Joanne Calderwood.
Melendez is also expected to make an appearance on the recently-announced “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America†series, which debuts this summer. Broadcast plans for that series are expected to be announced shortly.
