In November 2016, Keri Melendez made a successful transition from the kickboxing ring to the MMA cage  when she knocked ou t Sheila Padilla in the first round of their Bellator 165 encounter. Melendez (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is now a winning strawweight looking to expand her pro record to 2-0 when she meets Tiani Valle (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at Bellator 201 on June 29. But there’s another descriptor that is often attached to her name in MMA-related conversation: “wife of Gilbert Melendez .” That’s understandable. While Gilbert (22-7 MMA, 1-5 UFC) hasn’t had the best run lately, the former Strikeforce champion and current UFC lightweight is still highly regarded as a skilled athlete and one of the most recognizable names in the sport