UFC 188 Preview: Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez

UFC 188 is set to go down tomorrow (June 13, 2015) from Mexico City, Mexico and the co-main event features a bout many years in the making. A bout between two former champions, as former Strikeforce lightweight title holder Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez takes on former Bellator lightweight boss Eddie Alvarez.

This is a very interesting and close fight as both men are very similar and very well-rounded. This fight has all the potential to produce fireworks and it could be a slug fest. With that being said, check out the LowKickMMA Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez breakdown here.

Striking

This is where I see the fight playing out, as both men are strong strikers who aren’t afraid to stand in the pocket and trade shots. “El Nino” is known for his powerful, yet sometimes wild striking and has 11 knockout wins on his record. The former Strikeforce champion lands 3.68 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy rating of 34.32%. The Mexican-American is no slouch on the feet especially with his hard-nosed, go-forward style, but I think Alvarez gets the advantage here.

The former Bellator champ has more fluent and crisp combos than his opponent, but also doesn’t shy away from a brawl. “The Silent Assassin” lands 3.74 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy rating of 40.00%. Each man can definitely bang on the feet, but I give Alvarez the slight advantage at 55-45.

Wrestling

Alvarez may be known for his boxing, but “The Silent Assassin” is actually a very strong wrestler. He was a two time All-American in high school and lands 3.57 takedowns per bout as opposed to Melendez’s 1.95. Alvarez is also slightly more accurate with his takedowns, landing 48.15% of them as opposed to “El Nino’s”45.05%.

One key factor here, however, is Alvarez’s defense as he rarely gets taken down with a defense rating 90.91% compared to Melendez’s also strong 72.36%. “El Nino” is not weak in this department, and I don’t expect him to be too outmatched here, but due to the stats and the credentials, I have to give the former Bellator champ the advantage. 60-40 Alvarez.

Submissions

This is a hard category to call for me. Off the bat I would think to give Melendez, a black belt under the legendary Cesar Gracie, the advantage, but “El Nino” only has one submission win to his credit, and one of his loses actually came by submission as well. Alvarez on the other hand, has no formal ranking in jiu-jitsu, but actually boasts a super impressive seven submission wins, showing he can hold his own on the mat.

I don’t necessarily see the fight playing out here, and despite Alvarez’s submission wins, I don’t see him forcing the black belt to tap, although Melendez was submitted in his last bout. However, I see this area fairly even at 50-50

At the end of the day, this is a fight that should’ve happened years ago, but is still very intriguing today. A bout between two world class athletes who have a history should be very entertaining and we now know that the two men are pretty evenly matched. Who do you have winning this bout?