Keri Melendez feels as smart, confident as ever after ending three-year layoff at Bellator 301

CHICAGO – It was exactly 1,100 days between appearances for Keri Melendez, but she picked up right where she left off.

On the Bellator 301 prelims Friday at Wintrust Arena, Melendez (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) defeated Sabriye Sengul (3-4 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) by second-round guillotine choke.

Despite the intermittent outings in recent years, Melendez felt great when it finally was time to return to action. At 39, Melendez thinks she’s fresher than ever – and is confident her training camps going forward will allow her to compete on a more consistent basis.

“I want to keep going,” Melendez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I still feel great. I’m a little older but I don’t have much fight damage. I feel smarter than ever. When I was younger, you just push, push, push. I train smart and I don’t overtrain.

“There have been a little bit of bumps because I’ve had a three-year layoff. But now I feel like I can get back on track way easier than I did for this camp. … Right now, it definitely isn’t time (to stop). I’m feeling great. Everyone I train with, younger or older, I don’t feel the difference. It’s just the camp being smarter.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.