Melendez caught many of Henderson’s kicks, while pushing forward with punches of his own. He showed no signs of nervousness even as he was competing in the main event of UFC on FOX 7.
But by his own admission, Melendez “took my foot off the gas,” and Henderson was able to rally in the last three rounds to claim the unanimous decision and retain his lightweight belt.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on UFC on FUEL TV after the event, Melendez was visibly disappointed even as he commended Henderson.
“It was a tough fight. I gotta watch the tape, but Benson’s a stud,” he said. “He’s a tricky guy to hit. He’s very tough to hit.”
At the same time, Melendez said he believes he did enough to earn the decision.
“I thought I landed the bigger attacks. I left him pretty bloody, (although) he got some pretty good kicks,” Melendez said.
“I thought I won (rounds) one and two. I could see him winning three and four, but I thought I came strong in the fifth and stole the fight,” he added.
Melendez admitted that he took his foot off the pedal in the third and fourth rounds, saying, “I saved it for the fifth.”
“I looked way more energetic in the fifth, and he looked tired,” he said. “I’m just heartbroken right now.”
Melendez was competing in the UFC for the first time after plying his trade for Strikeforce since 2006. The loss snapped a seven-fight winning streak for “El Niño.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
