STRIKEFORCE:NASHVILLE 4/17/10
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Strikeforce's Gilbert Melendez on Shinya Aoki: "He breaks arms; I'll break his jaw"
While DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (23-4 MMA, 0-0 SF) has long been considered among the best submission artists in mixed martial arts, "Tobikan Judan" has also recently developed a reputation as one of the sport's biggest heels.
Never was that more apparent than when, after breaking former Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota's arm this past New Year's Eve, Aoki shot a middle finger at his vanquished foe and stormed around the ring like a madman.
Now, Aoki meets Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez (17-2 MMA, 7-1 SF) at tonight's "Strikeforce: Nashville" event, and "El Niño" says he might just have to do a little breaking of his own.
"We know what we sign up for when we walk into the cage," Melendez told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It just so happens that he breaks arms; I'll break his jaw."
It's not that Melendez has any personal disdain for Aoki; he's just there to do his job. Besides, according to Melendez, it was the Japanese grappler who started the exchange.
"When we went to the (pre-fight) press conference, he tried to give me a look right off the bat and try to dog me," Melendez said. "I'm kind of past that. I'm over that nowadays. I'm prepared. I know how to flip my switch on.
"Some people need to maintain character for the whole six or seven weeks, and that's how they have to do it. I know how to flip my switch and turn into a killer when it's time to and turn into a ninja when I have to."
If Melendez needs to draw on his inner ninja, it will undoubtedly be on the canvas. The Californian should be more than comfortable on his feet against Aoki, but the ground is a different story.
Melendez admits that even he was intimidated in the early days of preparation for Aoki.
"I studied the most tape ever with Aoki, and there was some anxiety initially when I was studying his tapes because he's very good at back attacks," Melendez said. "He has a very good single-leg takedown. He has a very good bodylock. He has a very good rubber guard. He has very good leglocks.
"Initially, I was really nervous of these of these positions."
That changed through the support of an all-star crew.
"I was able to work with Nick Diaz a lot," Melendez said. "I was able to work even with Cesar Gracie a lot on a lot of techniques. They have this black belt, Caio Terra, and he's a world champ. Nate (Diaz) was able to help me. Even Denny (Prokopos), who's the first black belt from Eddie Bravo. I've had this great team, and not just for this camp. I've being seeing these looks for four or five years.
"Now that we're closer, I'm not scared of those positions any more. They pose a lot of threats, and there's a chance I'll get submitted in those positions, but I feel confident. I've been there, I've drilled the positions, and I do have a team that can simulate him, so I have a lot of confidence going into this fight."
The other question marks in this fight between top-10 lightweights center around how Aoki will deal with the travel from Japan. While U.S.-based fighters have long made the trip across the Pacific to fight in Japanese-based organizations, the opposite has not been nearly as common.
Aoki now competes for the first time outside of his homeland, and he does so in an organization that uses a cage instead of a ring, as well as under a commission that won't allow him to use his famed rainbow pants, which some pundits insist increase his grappling prowess.
Melendez, who has fought in Japan, said he's not counting on any of those variables.
"I won't be mad if it affects him, but I'm not banking on anything like that," Melendez said. "I'm not really happy that, 'Oh, he can't wear his pants.' He might come out with some pants to his knees and some knee pads and all that kind of stuff. They might have built him a custom cage in Japan.
"I'm not banking on anything, but I wouldn't be mind if it did bug him. People do get lost in that cage sometimes. It's a lot more confusing than a ring. I hope it affects him because I'll take anything I can use."
Melendez was once considered among the very best lightweight fighters in the world. A 1-2 stretch in 2007 and 2008 left Melendez on the outside of most top-10 lists, but three-straight wins since have him now creeping back up the rankings once again.
A win over Aoki would do wonders for that ranking, and Melendez knows it.
"I want to be one of the best ever," Melendez said. "I want to be one of the top lightweights. I want to be pound-for-pound again. Beating Shinya Aoki would establish me again, for sure, as one of the top five fighters in the world."
But the reward doesn't come without risk, as Hirota's mangled arm attests.
Melendez understands what's at stake.
"We know what we're getting into when we walk into that cage," Melendez said. "That's why I don't like early stoppages or anything. The referee is trying to save people. We're professional fighters. I know what I'm getting into. Some fans say, 'The ref needs to do this. The ref needs to do that.' I'm a grown man. I know what I'm doing when I walk in that cage.
"It's warrior vs. warrior out there."
While DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (23-4 MMA, 0-0 SF) has long been considered among the best submission artists in mixed martial arts, "Tobikan Judan" has also recently developed a reputation as one of the sport's biggest heels.
Never was that more apparent than when, after breaking former Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota's arm this past New Year's Eve, Aoki shot a middle finger at his vanquished foe and stormed around the ring like a madman.
Now, Aoki meets Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez (17-2 MMA, 7-1 SF) at tonight's "Strikeforce: Nashville" event, and "El Niño" says he might just have to do a little breaking of his own.
"We know what we sign up for when we walk into the cage," Melendez told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It just so happens that he breaks arms; I'll break his jaw."
It's not that Melendez has any personal disdain for Aoki; he's just there to do his job. Besides, according to Melendez, it was the Japanese grappler who started the exchange.
"When we went to the (pre-fight) press conference, he tried to give me a look right off the bat and try to dog me," Melendez said. "I'm kind of past that. I'm over that nowadays. I'm prepared. I know how to flip my switch on.
"Some people need to maintain character for the whole six or seven weeks, and that's how they have to do it. I know how to flip my switch and turn into a killer when it's time to and turn into a ninja when I have to."
If Melendez needs to draw on his inner ninja, it will undoubtedly be on the canvas. The Californian should be more than comfortable on his feet against Aoki, but the ground is a different story.
Melendez admits that even he was intimidated in the early days of preparation for Aoki.
"I studied the most tape ever with Aoki, and there was some anxiety initially when I was studying his tapes because he's very good at back attacks," Melendez said. "He has a very good single-leg takedown. He has a very good bodylock. He has a very good rubber guard. He has very good leglocks.
"Initially, I was really nervous of these of these positions."
That changed through the support of an all-star crew.
"I was able to work with Nick Diaz a lot," Melendez said. "I was able to work even with Cesar Gracie a lot on a lot of techniques. They have this black belt, Caio Terra, and he's a world champ. Nate (Diaz) was able to help me. Even Denny (Prokopos), who's the first black belt from Eddie Bravo. I've had this great team, and not just for this camp. I've being seeing these looks for four or five years.
"Now that we're closer, I'm not scared of those positions any more. They pose a lot of threats, and there's a chance I'll get submitted in those positions, but I feel confident. I've been there, I've drilled the positions, and I do have a team that can simulate him, so I have a lot of confidence going into this fight."
The other question marks in this fight between top-10 lightweights center around how Aoki will deal with the travel from Japan. While U.S.-based fighters have long made the trip across the Pacific to fight in Japanese-based organizations, the opposite has not been nearly as common.
Aoki now competes for the first time outside of his homeland, and he does so in an organization that uses a cage instead of a ring, as well as under a commission that won't allow him to use his famed rainbow pants, which some pundits insist increase his grappling prowess.
Melendez, who has fought in Japan, said he's not counting on any of those variables.
"I won't be mad if it affects him, but I'm not banking on anything like that," Melendez said. "I'm not really happy that, 'Oh, he can't wear his pants.' He might come out with some pants to his knees and some knee pads and all that kind of stuff. They might have built him a custom cage in Japan.
"I'm not banking on anything, but I wouldn't be mind if it did bug him. People do get lost in that cage sometimes. It's a lot more confusing than a ring. I hope it affects him because I'll take anything I can use."
Melendez was once considered among the very best lightweight fighters in the world. A 1-2 stretch in 2007 and 2008 left Melendez on the outside of most top-10 lists, but three-straight wins since have him now creeping back up the rankings once again.
A win over Aoki would do wonders for that ranking, and Melendez knows it.
"I want to be one of the best ever," Melendez said. "I want to be one of the top lightweights. I want to be pound-for-pound again. Beating Shinya Aoki would establish me again, for sure, as one of the top five fighters in the world."
But the reward doesn't come without risk, as Hirota's mangled arm attests.
Melendez understands what's at stake.
"We know what we're getting into when we walk into that cage," Melendez said. "That's why I don't like early stoppages or anything. The referee is trying to save people. We're professional fighters. I know what I'm getting into. Some fans say, 'The ref needs to do this. The ref needs to do that.' I'm a grown man. I know what I'm doing when I walk in that cage.
"It's warrior vs. warrior out there."
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