Gilbert Melendez still with UFC

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Chromium

Chromium

Posting Machine
Oct 10, 2016
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Grateful Dude said:
Man, it’s crazy to think that out of their last 6 fights each that Gil is 1-5, and BJ is 0-6. There was a time where the sport hadn’t passed them by and they were part of the elite...but I wouldn’t mind if neither of them fought again. I’m a fan of both guys from back in the day, but it’s time to hang em up IMO
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Not the same tho, strength of schedule matters. Let's look at Melendez's match-ups:

-Lost a split decision to Benson Henderson in a World Title fight.
-Beat Diego Sanchez in an amazing FOTN barnburner
-Submitted to Anthony Pettis in another World Title fight. The title shot may have been unearned, but he was still fighting Pettis when he was the #1 Lightweight in the world.
-Lost to top 3 LW Eddie Alvarez by split decision.
-Lost to perennial top 10 LW Edson Barboza by decision.
-Lost to top 10 FW Jeremy Stephens by decision in another FOTN.

Two of his losses were in world title fights, two of his losses were by split decisions, all of his losses were to top 10 fighters, most to top 3 fighters, and three of his five losses here were pretty competitive (plus he snuck a win in there). This is not the same as losing to a past-his-prime Dennis Siver then getting submitted by a guy who's not even in the top 25. Plenty of good fighters have had 4-fight skids these days, most with far weaker opponents than Melendez. I'm okay with giving Melendez another chance here.
 
Grateful Dude

Grateful Dude

TMMAC Addict
May 30, 2016
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Chromium said:
Not the same tho, strength of schedule matters. Let's look at Melendez's match-ups:

-Lost a split decision to Benson Henderson in a World Title fight.
-Beat Diego Sanchez in an amazing FOTN barnburner
-Submitted to Anthony Pettis in another World Title fight. The title shot may have been unearned, but he was still fighting Pettis when he was the #1 Lightweight in the world.
-Lost to top 3 LW Eddie Alvarez by split decision.
-Lost to perennial top 10 LW Edson Barboza by decision.
-Lost to top 10 FW Jeremy Stephens by decision in another FOTN.

Two of his losses were in world title fights, two of his losses were by split decisions, all of his losses were to top 10 fighters, most to top 3 fighters, and three of his five losses here were pretty competitive (plus he snuck a win in there). This is not the same as losing to a past-his-prime Dennis Siver then getting submitted by a guy who's not even in the top 25. Plenty of good fighters have had 4-fight skids these days, most with far weaker opponents than Melendez. I'm okay with giving Melendez another chance here.
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No arguments from me there. Your speaking much more analytic, I was generalizing with my comments. In a reminiscent way, it’s just a bummer watching guys I’m fans of hit those low spots at the tail end of their careers.
 
D241

D241

Banned
Jan 14, 2015
4,384
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Gilbert might be 1-5 in the UFC but for a good amount of time he was the best fighter at his weight in the world. I won't forget that.


As it stands right now though, I cannot help but question his hunger and motives. I think someone like him who has put in so many years of hard training, developed skillset, he probably is coming to the table with just that, experience and already learned skills. His opponent more than likely is bringing a considerable amount of hunger, and that is a huge factor in fighting especially at a high level.
 
Onetrickpony

Onetrickpony

Stay gold
Nov 21, 2016
14,037
32,313
Chromium said:
Not the same tho, strength of schedule matters. Let's look at Melendez's match-ups:

-Lost a split decision to Benson Henderson in a World Title fight.
-Beat Diego Sanchez in an amazing FOTN barnburner
-Submitted to Anthony Pettis in another World Title fight. The title shot may have been unearned, but he was still fighting Pettis when he was the #1 Lightweight in the world.
-Lost to top 3 LW Eddie Alvarez by split decision.
-Lost to perennial top 10 LW Edson Barboza by decision.
-Lost to top 10 FW Jeremy Stephens by decision in another FOTN.

Two of his losses were in world title fights, two of his losses were by split decisions, all of his losses were to top 10 fighters, most to top 3 fighters, and three of his five losses here were pretty competitive (plus he snuck a win in there). This is not the same as losing to a past-his-prime Dennis Siver then getting submitted by a guy who's not even in the top 25. Plenty of good fighters have had 4-fight skids these days, most with far weaker opponents than Melendez. I'm okay with giving Melendez another chance here.
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Well said.

D-raw said:
Gilbert might be 1-5 in the UFC but for a good amount of time he was the best fighter at his weight in the world. I won't forget that.

As it stands right now though, I cannot help but question his hunger and motives. I think someone like him who has put in so many years of hard training, developed skillset, he probably is coming to the table with just that, experience and already learned skills. His opponent more than likely is bringing a considerable amount of hunger, and that is a huge factor in fighting especially at a high level.
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He will also be off whatever he was cycling before. We have no idea how long he was using and he may now be a totally different fighter than he was before

USADA has drastically changed many fighters, it will be interesting to see how Gil looks.
 
Robbie Hart

Robbie Hart

All Biden Voters Are Mindless Sheep
Feb 13, 2015
49,802
50,769
Onetrickpony said:
After 4 losses and a two year lay off I thought he’d retired or had been cut but I seems that’s not the case. He’s on a great card but deserves better than the first fight.

Gilbert Melendez returns from career-long layoff vs. Arnold Allen at UFC 239
MMA Junkie StaffMay 8, 2019 4:15 pm

Former Strikeforce champion and two-time UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez will return from a career-long layoff this summer hoping to snap a long losing streak.

The fight could determine whether or not his UFC career continues.

Melendez (22-7 MMA, 1-5 UFC) and Arnold Allen (14-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will meet in a featherweight bout at UFC 239 in July, the promotion announced on Wednesday.

UFC 239 takes place July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event’s main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims expected to air on ESPN and ESPN+.

Melendez, 37, hasn’t competed since he suffered a serious leg injury in a loss to Jeremy Stephens in September 2017. The outcome marked his fourth consecutive setback. “El Nino” withdrew from scheduled fights last July and December, where he was meant to face Allen at UFC 232.

In a September interview with MMA Junkie, Melendez stopped short of declaring he would retire from the sport. But he made it clear that he couldn’t continue on his current path with another loss.

“I think it’s important for me to succeed in my next fight,” Melendez said at the time. “It will be hard to go on if I don’t succeed. I really have to deliver. Even if I did come out with a victory, and I’m not happy with my performance, I’d probably have to consider everything.

“I need to succeed in this fight. If I do, that journey may continue. But if I don’t succeed, I can’t say forever-ever, but it’s definitely going to be time to step back for a long time.”

In Allen, Melendez faces a tough competitor on a major upswing. The 25-year-old Brit remains unbeaten in the octagon. In March, he defeated Jordan Rinaldi to extend his current winning streak to six bouts, including four in the UFC.

The latest UFC 239 card now includes:

  • Champ Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Holly Holm – for women’s featherweight title
  • Ben Askren vs. Jorge Masvidal
  • Junior Dos Santos vs. Francis Ngannou
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Luke Rockhold
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Diego Sanchez
  • Jack Marshman vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera
  • Claudia Gadelha vs. Randa Markos
  • Arnold Allen vs. Gilbert Melendez
For more on UFC 239, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Gilbert Melendez returns from career-long layoff vs. Arnold Allen at UFC 239
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That’s a hell of a card
 
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