One of the most-decorated fighters currently in the UFC Lightweight Division is Gilbert Melendez . Despite the fact that “El Niño” hasn’t made much of an impact in the promotion as of yet (which might be a reason why Reebok flubbed his name on his fight kit), he does have accolades spanning his 13-year, 27-fight career. This includes multiple reigns as the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion.
Though Gilbert Melendez has an amazing MMA career, his wife Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez has a seasoned career in combat sports too, though not MMA. That has changed, as recent news reports that Taylor-Melendez will make the transition into MMA with Bellator MMA.
Initial news for Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez’s new endeavor was reported by Sherdog . Both she and Bellator MMA inked a deal to an exclusive multi-fight deal . Taylor-Melendez also provided the following statement once it was made public on Friday, July 24, 2015.
“I’m very honored for the opportunity to fight on such a big stage with a great promotion and promoter. I actually fought for Scott Coker before Gilbert and we both have a great relationship with him, so I feel very comfortable with this situation. Even though I haven’t been super active as a fighter I have never really stopped training and look forward to testing my skills as a Muay Thai fighter and a mixed martial artist.”
Fortunately for Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez, she isn’t going into MMA a total greenhorn. As mentioned in her statement above, Taylor-Melendez has Muay Thai experience, which spans over a decade , as reported by Bleacher Report . She has fought in a number of “smoker” (unsanctioned) events, running up a 4-1 amateur record and a 2-1 professional record. As a matter of fact, Taylor-Melendez won her last fight against Maia Stevenson, the spouse of UFC veteran Joe Stevenson, as shown below.
As of now, it is expected that Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez will make her promotional debut at Bellator MMA Dynamite. The unique event featuring both a cage and a ring that will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2015.
[Image via Awakening Fighters]
