Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez: Wife Of UFC Fighter Gilbert Melendez Begins Career With Bellator MMA

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]