Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez
Tale of the tape
The read
Level of competition
Edson Barboza
| Competition tier | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin | 18 | 14 |
| Tier 3 — regional circuit | 6 | 0 |
Tier-weighted record quality: 1.06 · 18 tier-1/2 wins · 15 finish wins over 38 documented bouts
In the UFC: 13-13 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.2 wins over .500
Gilbert Melendez
| Competition tier | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin | 1 | 6 |
| Tier 3 — regional circuit | 21 | 2 |
Tier-weighted record quality: 0.73 · 1 tier-1/2 wins · 12 finish wins over 30 documented bouts
In the UFC: 1-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.9 wins over .500
Striking
Significant strikes — landed & absorbed
Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)
Edson Barboza
Distance 94.7% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 2.7% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 2.5% (norm 8.0%)
Gilbert Melendez
Distance 93.5% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 5.3% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 1.2% (norm 8.0%)
What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)
Edson Barboza
Head 65.6% (norm 78.0%) · Body 20.4% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 14.1% (norm 8.0%)
Gilbert Melendez
Head 89.7% (norm 78.0%) · Body 7.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 3.0% (norm 8.0%)
Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone
Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.
| Zone | Barboza L/A | Acc | Lightweight med | Melendez L/A | Acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 1476 / 3425 | 43.1% | 38.3% | 257 / 953 | 27.0% | 38.3% |
| In the clinch | 80 / 98 | 81.6% | 67.5% | 30 / 54 | 55.6% | 67.5% |
| On the ground | 60 / 92 | 65.2% | 68.8% | 7 / 12 | too few to rate | 68.8% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 707 / 2371 | 29.8% | 35.1% | 229 / 914 | 25.1% | 35.1% |
| To the body | 511 / 736 | 69.4% | 69.1% | 45 / 74 | 60.8% | 69.1% |
| To the legs | 398 / 508 | 78.3% | 81.8% | 20 / 31 | 64.5% | 81.8% |
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: 204 fighters · Lightweight: 204 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 Barboza L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med | vs Melendez L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 1494 / 3662 | 40.8% | 38.8% | 388 / 983 | 39.5% | 38.8% |
| In the clinch | 90 / 134 | 67.2% | 68.6% | 21 / 33 | 63.6% | 68.6% |
| On the ground | 271 / 374 | 72.5% | 68.0% | 16 / 24 | too few to rate | 68.0% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 1343 / 3460 | 38.8% | 35.2% | 228 / 779 | 29.3% | 35.2% |
| To the body | 254 / 398 | 63.8% | 68.2% | 88 / 131 | 67.2% | 68.2% |
| To the legs | 258 / 312 | 82.7% | 81.5% | 109 / 130 | 83.8% | 81.5% |
Grappling
Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Barboza has more cage time on record.