Queen's Court: Keri Melendez keeps family and fighting connected

When Keri Melendez makes her MMA debut at Bellator 165, it will open up an exciting and unpredictable new chapter of her athletic career.

That said, Melendez is no stranger to life's challenges. She's a professional Muay Thai kickboxer and the mother of a six-year-old girl, so don't be surprised if she's not intimidated by a little cage fighting. Along with her daughter Leylakay and husband Gilbert, a former Strikeforce lightweight champion and two-time UFC title contender, Melendez will have plenty of support when she fights Sheila Padilla this Saturday in San Jose, Calif.

"It's definitely a little more difficult than I think it would be for someone who doesn't have a child, but my daughter is awesome," Melendez told theScore. "She's been born into it with my husband, she's seen all of his fights and she supported me and before I even signed my Bellator contract. She's like 'Mommy, it's your turn. I want you to do it.'

"She’s great during training camp so even though it’s difficult, I feel like I’m blessed that my daughter has grown up around it and she really supports me and understands even when mommy is cranky or mommy is tired."

Mom and dad are thrilled to see Leylakay watching highlights of Gilbert's fights on her iPad and she's even attended Keri's kickboxing bouts. Keri is 4-1 as a pro, including two wins with Bellator's co-promotion Glory, while Gilbert has been a top name at 155 pounds for the better part of the last decade.

Despite those impressive accomplishments, there's another fighter who Leylakay might like even more than her parents at the moment.

"I don't know if I wanted to say this, but I think she has a secret crush on (Bellator lightweight champion) Michael Chandler. She was mentioning his name a couple of times and Gilbert and I were laughing."

However, just because the 32-year-old Melendez keeps fighting and family tied together, that doesn't mean she feels the need to play mother hen down at the gym where she trains with UFC veterans Nate and Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, and Leslie Smith among others.

The Bellator marketing team is selling Melendez as "The Skrap Pack Queen" and "The First Lady of the Skrap Pack," and Melendez is amused by the titles even if they don't exactly describe her relationship with the famous California camp.

"No, it's awesome that they're doing that because to be associated with those guys is an honor," said Melendez. "They're a real team and they've been together in this sport forever. Nate's been helping me a lot with my jiu-jitsu, and Gilbert's my main MMA coach, and whenever Nate and Nick are around they give me tips also and they're all brothers and it's awesome to see. I've been around for 10 years so I've had to experience some of their fights and a lot of their training together.

"I don't know if I'd call myself the queen, but I'm definitely blessed to be around them and a part of their team."

It helps that Melendez can more than hold her own when working with the stars of a sport into which she is now dipping her toes. They're preparing Melendez for any situation on fight night - even a prolonged ground battle with the grappling-minded Padilla - but she can always lean on the kickboxing skills that continue to impress her training partners.

"They definitely respect my Muay Thai skills, like 'Wow, Gilbert! Your wife is badass.' So when I get to hear these guys say that about me I'm like, 'Okay I'm doing something right.'"