Anthony Pettis vs.
Gilbert Melendez
Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.
The men, measured.
Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.
What the numbers say.
Scouting notes, auto-generated — only stats deviating more than 25% from the division median make this list. No narratives, just deviations.
Who did they actually beat?
Full-career records re-graded by the tier of opposition — the same grading the Contender Series pick model uses. Records built on tier-4 competition are worth less than records built on killers.
Anthony Pettis
Full career not yet synced for Anthony Pettis — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).
In the UFC: 10-8 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +5.7 wins over .500
Gilbert Melendez
Full career not yet synced for Gilbert Melendez — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).
In the UFC: 1-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.9 wins over .500
The stand-up battle.
Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.
Significant strikes — landed & absorbed
Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)
Anthony Pettis
Distance 89.7% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 5.0% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 5.3% (norm 8.0%)
Gilbert Melendez
Distance 93.5% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 5.3% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 1.2% (norm 8.0%)
What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)
Anthony Pettis
Head 76.0% (norm 78.2%) · Body 16.0% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 8.1% (norm 7.9%)
Gilbert Melendez
Head 89.7% (norm 78.2%) · Body 7.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 3.0% (norm 7.9%)
Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone
Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.
| Zone | Pettis L/A | Acc | Lightweight med | Melendez L/A | Acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 657 / 1425 | 46.1% | 37.9% | 257 / 953 | 27.0% | 37.9% |
| In the clinch | 53 / 79 | 67.1% | 67.3% | 30 / 54 | 55.6% | 67.3% |
| On the ground | 59 / 85 | 69.4% | 69.1% | 7 / 12 | too few to rate | 69.1% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 497 / 1207 | 41.2% | 35.0% | 229 / 914 | 25.1% | 35.0% |
| To the body | 162 / 254 | 63.8% | 69.1% | 45 / 74 | 60.8% | 69.1% |
| To the legs | 110 / 128 | 85.9% | 81.9% | 20 / 31 | 64.5% | 81.9% |
Zones with fewer than 25 attempts are marked "too few to rate". Each fighter is measured against the median of leaderboard-eligible fighters in his own division (Lightweight: 201 fighters · Lightweight: 201 fighters).
What lands on them Opponents' accuracy against each man
Green ≤ division median — harder to hit than the typical man in his division.
| Zone | vs Pettis L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med | vs Melendez L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 686 / 1607 | 42.7% | 38.9% | 388 / 983 | 39.5% | 38.9% |
| In the clinch | 136 / 190 | 71.6% | 68.6% | 21 / 33 | 63.6% | 68.6% |
| On the ground | 102 / 165 | 61.8% | 68.0% | 16 / 24 | too few to rate | 68.0% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 519 / 1408 | 36.9% | 35.1% | 228 / 779 | 29.3% | 35.1% |
| To the body | 222 / 328 | 67.7% | 68.1% | 88 / 131 | 67.2% | 68.1% |
| To the legs | 183 / 226 | 81.0% | 81.5% | 109 / 130 | 83.8% | 81.5% |
The ground war.
Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.
Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Pettis has more cage time on record.