Arnold Allen is heavily favored against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 239 on Saturday, July 6 in Paradise, Nevada. This event is one of four fights on the ESPN portion of the preliminary card. Melendez is 22-7 in his career, while Allen is 14-1 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card at UFC 239, with the headliner a bout between Jon Jones and Thiago Santos. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card with four on ESPN and three on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Melendez and Allen and UFC predictions.
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Gilbert Melendez (22-7, 1-5 UFC)
Melendez came into the UFC with a record of 21-2 and he has one win and five losses in the UFC. He defeated Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision; while losing to Benson Henderson by split decision, Anthony Pettis by submission, Eddie Alvarez by split decision, Edson Barboza by unanimous decision, and Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision. Melendez has been a pro since 2002 and he has 11 wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has three first round finishes.
Arnold Allen (14-1, 5-0 UFC)
Allen came into the UFC with a record of 9-1 and he has five wins and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Alan Omer by submission, Yaotzin Meza by unanimous decision, Makwan Amirkhani by split decision, Mads Burnell by submission, and Jordan Rinaldi by unanimous decision. Allen’s only loss in his career was against Marcin Wrzosek by unanimous decision on June 7, 2014. Allen has been a pro since 2012 and he has five wins by TKO/KO and four by submission. He has three first round finishes.
Allen said this to mmajunkie.com about his upcoming fight against Melendez, “He’s had a lot of fights. You kind of know what he brings to the table. That’s one nice thing about fighting a veteran: You kind of know what they’re going to do. He is hard to gauge, but I’m just going to assume that he’s going to bring the best version of himself. I’m prepared for anything and I’ve had all sorts of fights. I’ve been in boring fights where no one gets hit and you end up winning without getting touched, and I’ve had fights where I’ve been in little brawls, type of grinding fights, so I’ll be ready for whatever he brings. I’m just going to outpoint him, out-skill him, and I’m going to be a bit better than him on the night. I kind of like flying under the radar. I don’t want to be that hype train guy. I want to go out, do my business and go home. This is definitely a fight to come out and show my ability and out on a good performance against a big name.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Melendez 3.51 / Allen 2.19
Accuracy: Melendez 33% / Allen 33%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Melendez 2.35/ Allen 1.83
Defense: Melendez 64% / Allen 61%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Melendez 1.70/ Allen 1.73
Accuracy: Melendez 42% / Allen 57%
Takedowns defended: Melendez 71% / Allen 69%
Submission average: Melendez 0.2 / Allen 0.7
UFC Predictions
Melendez needs to get in a win in this fight otherwise his career in the UFC could be over. He has been struggling lately with his last win coming five years ago and it is a major miracle he is still in the UFC. It is hard to pick Melendez to get the win in this fight based on his past record in the UFC, but I really don’t like laying big prices. I will look for some props and take Allen to win by submission.
UFC 239 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, July 6, with five fights on the main pay-per-view card, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos and seven preliminary bouts, with four on ESPN and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Light Heavyweight - Jon Jones -850 vs. Thiago Santos
Women's Bantamweight - Amanda Nunes -500 vs. Holly Holm
Welterweight - Ben Askren -218 vs. Jorge Masvidal
Light Heavyweight - Luke Rockhold -245 vs. Jan Blachowicz
Welterweight - Michael Chiesa -415 vs. Diego Sanchez
Preliminary card (ESPN)
Featherweight - Arnold Allen -390 vs. Gilbert Melendez
Bantamweight - Marlon Vera -350 vs. Nohelin Hernandez
Women's Strawweight - Claudia Gadelha -230 vs. Randa Markos
Bantamweight - Yadong Song -210 vs. Alejandro Pérez
Early Preliminary card (UFC Fight Pass)
Middleweight - Edmen Shahbazyan -679 vs. Jack Marshman
Welterweight - Ismail Naurdiev -500 vs. Chance Rencountre
Women's Bantamweight - Julia Avila -235 vs. Pannie Kianzad
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