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Gilbert Melendez vs. Anthony Pettis

UFC 1-6-0 vs. 11-9-0

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
1-6-0
UFC record
11-9-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
44
AgeΔ 5 yrs
39
5'9"
HeightΔ 1"
5'10"
73"
ReachΔ 1"
72"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
87.5
Layoff (months)Δ 17.5 mo
70
LLLLL
Last 5 (newest first)
WWLLW

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Gilbert Melendez rarely shoots — 0.42 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.34 Lightweight norm.
Anthony Pettis rarely shoots — 0.52 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.34 Lightweight norm.
Anthony Pettis is a submission threat — 0.71 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.48 Lightweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Gilbert Melendez

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 16
Tier 3 — regional circuit 212

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

Anthony Pettis

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1213
Tier 3 — regional circuit 131

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.94 · 12 tier-1/2 wins · 19 finish wins over 39 documented bouts

In the UFC: 10-8 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +5.7 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

2942.75/min · norm 3.44
Sig. strikes landed
7693.32/min · norm 3.44
4253.98/min · norm 3.38
Sig. strikes absorbed lower is better
9243.99/min · norm 3.38
28.9%norm 43.65%
Striking accuracy
48.4%norm 43.65%
59.1%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
52.9%norm 56.3%
00.00/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
40.26/15 · norm 0.25

Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)

Gilbert Melendez

Distance 93.5% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 5.3% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 1.2% (norm 8.0%)

Anthony Pettis

Distance 89.7% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 5.0% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 5.3% (norm 8.0%)

What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)

Gilbert Melendez

Head 89.7% (norm 78.0%) · Body 7.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 3.0% (norm 8.0%)

Anthony Pettis

Head 76.0% (norm 78.0%) · Body 16.0% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 8.1% (norm 8.0%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.

Zone Melendez L/AAccLightweight med Pettis L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 257 / 953 27.0% 38.3% 657 / 1425 46.1% 38.3%
In the clinch 30 / 54 55.6% 67.5% 53 / 79 67.1% 67.5%
On the ground 7 / 12 too few to rate 68.8% 59 / 85 69.4% 68.8%
BY TARGET
To the head 229 / 914 25.1% 35.1% 497 / 1207 41.2% 35.1%
To the body 45 / 74 60.8% 69.1% 162 / 254 63.8% 69.1%
To the legs 20 / 31 64.5% 81.8% 110 / 128 85.9% 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 Melendez L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Pettis L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 388 / 983 39.5% 38.8% 686 / 1607 42.7% 38.8%
In the clinch 21 / 33 63.6% 68.6% 136 / 190 71.6% 68.6%
On the ground 16 / 24 too few to rate 68.0% 102 / 165 61.8% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 228 / 779 29.3% 35.2% 519 / 1408 36.9% 35.2%
To the body 88 / 131 67.2% 68.2% 222 / 328 67.7% 68.2%
To the legs 109 / 130 83.8% 81.5% 183 / 226 81.0% 81.5%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
316.7% acc · 0.42/15 · norm 1.34
Takedowns landed
840.0% acc · 0.52/15 · norm 1.34
1875.0% def · norm 63.7%
Takedowns stopped
5755.9% def · norm 63.7%
5:515.5% of cage time · norm 18.95%
Control time
26:5911.6% of cage time · norm 18.95%
9:001:15 per 15 · norm 2:50
Time under control lower is better
74:394:49 per 15 · norm 2:50
00.00/15 · norm 0.48
Submission attempts
110.71/15 · norm 0.48

Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Pettis has more cage time on record.