Gilbert Melendez’s wife provides an update following her husband’s battle with Jeremy Stephens on Saturday night at UFC 215.
Gilbert Melendez made his return to the Octagon, as well as his debut in the featherweight division at UFC 215. He came up short, ate a barrage of leg kicks from opponent Jeremy Stephens but was able to walk away with a $50,000 bonus for his efforts after receiving ‘Fight of the Night’ at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The bout between Melendez and Stephens opened up the main card on Saturday night. “Lil’ Heathen” earned a unanimous decision, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. There were two stories throughout the matchup; the leg kicks from Stephens and the toughness that was on display from Melendez, which went hand in hand.
On Sunday night, Melendez’s wife Keri provided an update on her husband’s condition while showing a photo of his left leg following his gritty performance.
“Everyone is asking about Gilbert’s leg,” Keri Melendez said. “He is doing A-OK. Thank you for all the support. We feel the love.”
Hey All. Everyone is asking about Gilbert's leg. Here is a pic today. He is doing A ok. Thank you to all for the support. We feel the love pic.twitter.com/VQpNj7JlTO
— KeriMelendez (@KeriMelendez415) September 11, 2017
The leg kicks Stephens landed throughout the fight were nasty, dropping Melendez several times throughout the featherweight contest, which led to the judges scoring the fight 30-26, 30-26, 30-25 for the 26-fight UFC veteran. Stephens got a much-needed win following losses to Frankie Edgar at UFC 205 last November, and Renato Carneiro in April at UFC on FOX 24.
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Melendez has now lost four straight fights. “El Nino” returned to the Octagon for the first time in a little under 15-months following a unanimous decision loss to Edson Barboza in June 2016 at UFC on FOX 20. There has been no decision on the immediate future of one of the UFC’s most exciting fighters who is looking for his first win since October 2013, when he defeated Diego Sanchez in one of the most exciting fights in UFC history at UFC 166.