UFC's Gilbert Melendez says he took 'foot off the gas' but thought he still won

SAN JOSE, Calif. – To put it simply, Gilbert Melendez (21-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) thought he had done enough. But in retrospect, he realizes he took his foot off the gas at the wrong time.

“I thought I won the first two and fifth, for sure,” Melendez said after his UFC on FOX 7 loss to lightweight champ Benson Henderson (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC). “I took my foot off the gas a little bit after the second. The third was close, but I thought I came strong. I thought it was going to come down to the last round, and I thought I won the last round.”

UFC on FOX 7 took place Saturday night in San Jose, Calif. Melendez lost the headlining matchup by split decision.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) actually agreed with Melendez, awarding him the first, second and fifth rounds for a 48-47 win. However, the entire fight was closely contested, and a split-decision result was rather unsurprising.

Melendez, a former Strikeforce champion making his UFC debut, kept a positive attitude in defeat and declined to make excuses or question the judges’ decision.

“That’s my own fault, but I totally felt like I turned it up in the fifth, and I thought I won that,” Melendez said. “But took my foot off the gas. He adjusted pretty well, as well.

“I’m just happy to be working for these guys. This is what I’ve been waiting for my whole career. I’ve just got to look at it as this is a dream come true just to be here right now.”

Some pundits called for an immediate rematch, especially with the scores coming in as close as they did. However, UFC President Dana White instead said Henderson will face the winner of a UFC 160 matchup between T.J. Grant and Gray Maynard. Still both White and Henderson said they expect Melendez to remain a top contender and believe he may challenge again for the belt in the very near future.

But for now, Melendez will have to settle for coming up just short in his bid for the belt. He’ll apparently do so without any bitterness.

“Ben’s a stud,” Melendez said. “What can I say?”

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