About Gilbert Melendez
American mixed martial artist Gilbert Melendez, who was born on April 12, 1982, is thought to have a net worth of $500,000. A Japanese broadcaster gave Gilbert Melendez the nickname “El Nio” to represent his stormy fighting style.
A fighter’s development can be fascinating to see. Gilbert Melendez was a blur of tenacity and ferocity when he first started competing in MMA. He was typified by his powerful takedowns, ground and pound, excellent cardio, and willingness to stand and trade. However, Melendez changed for the better after suffering defeats to Mitshuhiro Ishida and Josh Thomson, in part due to this approach. His blows got more precise. He didn’t gamble as much. Instead of rushing things, he started picking his spots.
He went from being one of the world’s better lightweight fighters to one of the greatest as a result of the adjustment. Here is his tale.
During his time at Santa Ana High School, Melendez trained alongside some excellent high school wrestlers. He qualified for the state tournament twice while working with coach Scott Glabb, which was enough to earn him a wrestling scholarship at San Francisco State. Melendez was disappointed to discover that his teammates weren’t as devoted to the game there as they had been in high school. Jake Shields, however, and his sophomore year followed.
Jake Shields joined the San Francisco State wrestling team during my sophomore year, Melendez recalled to Heavy. Melendez adds, “He told me about this cagefighting thing he was doing, but I didn’t believe him. However, Jake took me to Gracie’s gym one day and kicked the living hell out of me. And since since, I’ve been one of Jake’s followers. I trained with Jake because I knew he was the greatest and I wanted to learn from the best.
Melendez, who had studied jiu-jitsu with Cesar Gracie, defeated Greg Quan in his debut match on October 18, 2002, via technical knockout. He actually won his first 13 matches while fighting for the WEC, Shooto, PRIDE, K-1, ROR, and Strikeforce leagues. Along the way, he won the Strikeforce lightweight championship and was the first lightweight champion of the WEC.
In the end, Melendez did drop his 14th match while representing the PRIDE organization to Mitsuhiro Ishida by decision. At Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson, he also dropped the lightweight division to Josh Thomson. He would eventually make up for both of these defeats by fighting for Strikeforce. He regained the Strikeforce lightweight championship that he had previously lost to Thomson after defeating him.
Melendez is extremely tough, has excellent submission defense, and consistently enters fights prepared to go the distance and beyond. He is particularly skilled at takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control because these are the things he was known for in the beginning of his MMA career. However, in recent years, his fighting patience and striking have also emerged as strengths.
Overall, Melendez is a very dynamic and well-rounded fighter. Gilbert Melendez’s net worth is projected to be $500 000 as of 2023.
The first kid of Melendez and his partner Keri Anne is due to arrive in late 2010.
