Written By:  Michael Hatamoto

In a lightweight matchup that needs to happen to help shake up the lightweight top 10, Strikeforce and Bellator are willing to match up Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez (18 - 2) against Bellator's Eddie Alvarez (20 - 2).

"If the stars align and we can work out all the terms and conditions and timing, we'd do it," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently told MMA Junkie.  "Of course we would. Why wouldn't we? Let's go do this."

The UFC still has the deepest lightweight talent pool, with the likes of current champion Frankie Edgar, former champion B.J. Penn, Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, and others .  Despite the lack of talent outside of the UFC, both Melendez and Alvarez are top-10 fighters battling for relevancy outside of the premier MMA organization.

Since losing a unanimous decision to Josh Thomson in 2008, Melendez has beaten Rodrigo Damm, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Josh Thomson and Shinya Aoki.  In the highly anticipated fight with Aoki, Melendez was able to avoid the Japanese grappler's dangerous ground game as he punished Aoki for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, Alvarez recovered from a 2008 submission loss to Aoki by finishing five fights via submission. 

This is a fight that needs to happen -- both fighters want to prove their relevance, and neither fighter faces an appealing challenge in their own organizations.  Assuming a fight against Melendez isn't in the works, Alvarez is expected to fight Pat Curran or Toby Imada sometime in the fall.

It'd be interesting to see Melendez or Alvarez fight the likes of Gesias Cavalcante, Mizuto Hirota, or Tatsuya Kawajiri, though it's unsure what will happen this summer.