Many martial arts fans know well that Mexicans are born fighters endowed with iron will and patience. One of such masters of mixed style, which thousands of people come to see, is Gilbert Melendez. His life and sports career will be discussed in this article.
Birth and family
Mexican American was born April 12, 1984 in California, Santa Ana. Gilbert Melendez is not the only child of his parents, as he has two more sisters. The family of the current MMA star, although it has Mexican roots, still communicates in English.
After school, Gilbert entered San Francisco State University, but did not finish it, as preparations for various MMA competitions took place outside the city limits. By the way, his friend Jake Shields pulled into the world of mixed martial arts.
High Level Performances
Gilbert Melendez began his career as a professional in 2002. Initially, he fought in an organization called WEC, where he quickly became a champion under the guidance of his coach Caesar Gracie.
Since 2004, the battles of Gilbert Melendez often take place both in America and in Japan. In the US, he became a member of the Strikeforce League, and also fights in leading Japanese promotions - PRIDE and Shooto. In an American organization in 2006, he became a champion, breaking the resistance of then-champion Clay Guid.
Melendez suffered his first defeat in a battle against Mitsuhiro Ishida in 2007. Six months later, the American loses his Strikeforce title, losing Josh Thompson on points. This defeat pushed the Kid (Gilbert's nickname) to even more hard training. And in April 2009, he knocked out Rodrigue Damme, thanks to which he received the status of a temporary promotion champion, since Thompson could not defend his title due to injury. A little later there was a rematch with Josh, in which Melendez was already celebrating the victory. This allowed him to become the full champion of the division again.
A series of successful battles continued with a victory over Xinyi Aoki Asian Avenue. The Japanese wrestler made 18 passes to the champion’s legs, but Gilbert Melendez was able to stop all attempts of the opponent to transfer the fight to the ground. As a result, the American won by unanimous decision.
The next title defense was also successful for the Kid. This time, he defeated Tatsui Kawaziri by knockout, and for this the champion needed only three minutes.
In the spring of 2012, the third battle took place between Melendez and Thompson. The fight ended in a rather controversial split referee decision. Gilbert again celebrated the victory, but many viewers and experts felt that in that fight Josh was stripped of his well-deserved title.
Transition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship
The UFC debut for Gilbert came in 2013. Melendez already in the first fight met with the champion of promotion Benson Henderson. The match turned out to be quite equal, but the victory was given to Ben.
The fight “Diego Sanchez - Gilbert Melendez” was held at UFC 166. The fight ended in victory for the Kid on points.
In December 2014, Melendez again got a chance to challenge the league title. This time, Anthony Pettis became his rival. From the very beginning of the battle, Gilbert went ahead and literally overwhelmed the champion with blows, but in the second five-minute period Pettis was able to hold a strangulation and forced Melendez to give up.
On June 13, 2015, Melendez met in the octagon with Eddie Alvarez. The fight took place in Mexico. In the first five minutes, Gilbert easily interrupted his opponent in the stance and even injured him, but Eddie was still able to turn the tide of the battle and wrest the victory.
In June 2015, Gilbert agreed to replace the injured Green vs. Yakvinta. But as a result of testing in the blood of the Kid, doping was discovered. In this regard, he received a suspension for one year.
In July 2016, the Edson Barbosa - Gilbert Melendez fight was held. This fight lasted all the allotted rounds and ended not in favor of the Kid. During the fight, he missed a lot of low kicks, as a result of which, after the final gong, his left leg was very swollen. Thus, the confrontation "Edson Barbosa - Gilbert Melendez" ended in victory for the first fighter. For our hero, this defeat was the sixth in his career.
Personal life
Melendez is married. His wife, Carey Ann, is also a professional athlete and performs in kickboxing fights. In 2010, the couple had a daughter.