One of the undeniable highs of the anticipated card was the MMA debut of Keri Anne Melendez, who is the wife of former Strikeforce lightweight champion and current UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez. The 32-year-old female Melendez made this MMA debut after a brief but successful kickboxing career. Her opponent was Sheila Padilla, who entered the bout with a 2-0 MMA record.
Melendez’s MMA debut could not have gone better. Just 47 seconds into the first frame, she clubbed her opponent with a beautiful right hand. The referee was pulling her off her unconscious foe before she could land a single followup ground strike. Catch Melendez’s beautiful blitzkrieg in the video at the top of this article!
With this win, Melendez now owns a 1-0 record in the mixed martial arts arena. Given the fashion with which she debuted, we can expect her to get a real push in Bellator’s burgeoning flyweight division which is home to other talented prospects like Lena Ovchynnikova, Bruna Vargas, Ilima MacFarlane and Anastasia Yankova.
Were you impressed by Melendez’s MMA debut? How do you think she’ll do in Bellator’s ever growing women’s flyweight division? Sound off in the comments section, PENN Nation!
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier feels the UFC is the only MMA promotion in which athletes truly have an opportunity to achieve a superstar fame level.
