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Former Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez
starts his run at another title shot
against former training partner Diego Sanchez.
The Countdown to UFC 166 starts now.
Melendez: I run a few times a week.
About a three-mile run, right there out on the bay.
Beautiful run.
San Francisco is a great place to run, so--
Sanchez: The run, it's a spiritual,
mind, mental, body, spirit, journey.
It's hills and I think hills relates the most to a fight
because a fight is ups and downs.
Melendez: Sometimes when I get tired
I take it to the third round or the last round in my fight,
and-and visualize me standing toe to toe,
and dig deep there and think about good form.
Announcer: One-two combination by the champion connects.
I'm the number one lightweight in the world, baby!
Sanchez: I'm praying. I'm talking to God.
I'm thinking about what I need to be thinking about.
[grunting]
Push yourself. Let's go!
Sanchez: Legs and lungs and heart
is what will get you through a hard fight.
Melendez: Diego Sanchez and I have history.
I've always known who he was, you know,
we're both Mexican guys and a fighter, you know,
you always gotta, you know, represent La Raza a little bit
so I'm-I'm down with that.
Sanchez: Me and Gil go back.
When I lived in San Diego, Gil would come down and train with me.
There was times he'd be sleeping on my couch,
hanging out with me,
and we'd go to the gym and we would put rounds in.
Melendez: Diego is a high intensity guy. I'm a high intensity guy.
So what I remember best about us training together
was like two bulls in a cage, you know, and going at it.
Sanchez: No matter what type of training we were doing,
something special would happen every round.
Something very special would happen,
and that would be me and him
bringing out the best in each other.
Melendez: I knew our paths would cross again.
Goldberg: This is a dog fight right here.
Rogan: It certainly is.
This is what Gilbert Melendez is all about.
Sanchez: Gilbert's tough man.
Gilbert has heart, he has a great chin,
and he has great conditioning.
I possess all those three assets the same.
Melendez: I think Diego knows he's not gonna have much choice
but to strike it out with me.
He ain't taking me down.
And there now he catches a kick.
Has Thompson in trouble.
Swerves him.
Melendez: He ain't holding me down.
I think he knows that already
and he knows he's gonna have to *** it out with me.
Bring whatever you got.
Sanchez: This fight is gonna be something special.
It's gonna come down to who wants it more.
Joe Rogan: Diego has an incredible belief in himself.
Diego rises far above his physical ability just with his mind.
Sanchez: There's a lot at stake for me in this fight.
Definitely my career, my legacy,
who I am to this organization and this company,
what my value as a fighter is and just me as a warrior.
Rogan: The intensity of Diego Sanchez
is very hard for people to deal with.
Sanchez: I'm gonna be at my best for this one.
Goldberg: Melendez picks him up and drops him.
Melendez: I'm just gonna whip his butt,
and just show everyone there.
Announcer: Gilbert Melendez.
Diego Sanchez.
Here we go!