Gilbert Melendez saw Benson Henderson ‘s hand get raised, and right away he started looking for the silver lining. It didn’t take long for the former Strikeforce lightweight champion to find one after Henderson beat him by split-decision in a UFC title fight at UFC on FOX 7 in April. “I’m excited to fight three five-minute rounds,” Melendez recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “Initially after I lost, the first thing on my mind more than anything was, ‘Heck yeah – 15 minutes, that’s way easier.’ I’ve been training for 25-minute fights my last 10 fights, and it’s kind of tough on the body.” And because Melendez has indeed been in 10 straight title fights – going the full 25 minutes six times – he’ll get a welcome training reprieve now, while trying to work his way back to where he wants to be, and that’s back in another title fight. The road back there for Melendez (21-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) starts against Diego Sanchez (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in October at UFC 166 in Houston, a fight booking first reported by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)
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Gilbert Melendez finds 15-minute silver lining on path back to UFC title fight – MMA Junkie