Former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez offers advice to next generation of fighters

Gilbert Melendez considers himself as well-educated about the sport of MMA as anyone in the industry, so he thinks the following advice should carry weight.

During his nearly 17-year career as a professional fighter, Melendez (22-8) claimed and defended the Strikeforce lightweight title, challenged for a UFC championship and provided many memorable wars. Since his retirement, he has dabbled in management, TV analyst work, currently runs his own regional promotion in California, and still holds deep connections with many key players in the sport.

His exit from active competition into retirement has been largely seamless. Now 42, Melendez said he’s found a comfortable place in retirement. Not everyone has that found that same path, however, and that’s why retirements in MMA have proven to be so fickle.

Melendez doesn’t like to see that, he said, and cautions the next wave of athlete to be more forward-thinking when it comes to life after retirement.

“When I set my goals out when I started my career, I just looked to the age of 35. I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to do this,’” Melendez told MMA Junkie Radio. “This is when I was a young man. Like 20 years old. And my goals ended at 35. And now I have a new plan that’s to 60 years old. I have a 60-year-old plan. I think to the young fighters that are in the sport, yes, your lifespan is short in terms of fighting professionally, but you have to look past your fight career. You have to look at it like, ‘OK, I’m in this fight game, I’m investing 20 years of my life into it. I don’t want to stop (planning) when I’m done fighting.’ You have to look at it as a 40-year plan, a 50-year plan – whatever you start. And it can’t end with your last fight, retiring and moving on.”

Melendez knows it can be easier said than done for other fighters to hang up the gloves and make it permanent. Fighting is a global sport and with that come different circumstances for all individuals. Regardless of that, Melendez said planning for the future is something everyone should be capable of.

“That is my advice to this next generation: You can’t just look to your final fight when you lay down the gloves,” Melendez said. “You have to look 20 years beyond that, and start planning for that now. Whether it’s gyms, whether it’s private (training sessions), whether it’s developing a security team, being a promoter. I’m so invested in it I feel like I have a PhD in fighting. Anyone who has made it to the UFC probably has their PhD in martial arts. I feel like I’m one of the guys at the top of the class, so use that PhD you have from fighting and continue to spread it.”