Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez ready to test self at Bellator 165, not do 'muay Thai with MMA gloves'

Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez is not exactly a Bellator newcomer; she won a pair of kickboxing matches at the promotion’s first two mixed “Dynamite” editions, which featured both kickboxing and MMA fights on the same night.

At Saturday’s Bellator 165 event, however, Taylor-Melendez (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) finally makes a much-awaited move from the ring to the cage. And, excited to put her growing arsenal to use, she said Sheila Padilla (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) can be the right opponent to show she’s not just a kickboxer anymore.

“I think it can be a good fight,” Taylor-Melendez told MMAjunkie . “I’m excited. I think she’s a great opponent. She has experience. She’s 2-0. That’s no joke. She’s also a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. I watched whatever tape I could find online and, you know, I think it’s safe to assume that I’m the better striker. …

“Her grappling is what she likes to do, and that’s what we’re going to test my skills with, in the grappling. So, this is MMA, and I’m excited for it to go there. I want to see what I could do. I don’t want to just do muay Thai with MMA gloves, I want a mixed martial arts fight, and I’m ready to test myself.”

The flyweight scrap is featured on the Spike-televised main card of Bellator 165, which takes place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Prelims stream on MMAjunkie.

After Taylor-Melendez cruised her way to a decision win in her Bellator kickboxing debut, the 32-year-old talked about her plans for a 2016 MMA debut. And now, with the encouragement from husband Gilbert Melendez,  a former Strikeforce champion, the 4-1 kickboxer said the timing was finally right.

Being married to a name as recognizable as Melendez, who’s currently a UFC lightweight contender, means that associations are inevitable. But Taylor-Melendez takes it in stride. In fact, she considers herself fortunate to count on such high-level support for her first MMA camp.

“My husband’s earned his name in the sport. and he’s done amazing things,” Taylor-Melendez said. “And I’m lucky enough to actually have him as my head MMA coach for this training camp. I think being associated with him becomes pressure. But also, I feel more confident in my training having him around, being around him, and having him be my MMA coach as well as head training coach.”

Taylor-Melendez is aware that her unique position translates to some added eyeballs and perhaps higher expectations at a very early stage of her MMA career. But,  while Melendez took her deeper into the MMA world, she was already a fighter before her husband came into the scene.

And, if they won’t take her word for it, hopefully her performances will relay the message.

“I do have a little bit more pressure,” Taylor-Melendez said. “My husband has done amazing things at this sport, so I think people can expect me to either do well or maybe, ‘She’s just doing it because her husband does it.’

“But no, I was training before I met my husband in kickboxing, and he did bring the MMA aspect to my attention, and I’ve been around it. But I train really hard, and I think once I get hopefully fighting more and kicking some tail that people will look at me for my fighting skills.”

Although she can’t compare her ground game to her striking just yet, Taylor-Melendez said she’s constantly reassured at the gym that her grappling is on point – and, after years dedicated to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, she’s just received a blue belt to show for it. Putting everything together in camp, she said, has been tough but fun.

Looking into the immediate future, the flyweight feels confident in her gameplan for Padilla. But, when it comes to projecting further steps, Taylor-Melendez prefers a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m going to take it one fight at a time,” Taylor-Melendez said. “I have a tough fight coming up, and after this, I can assess things and go from there. But, for now, I’m just focusing on getting the W and doing a good job on Nov. 19.”

For more on Bellator 165, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.