Gilbert Melendez made his UFC featherweight debut on Saturday night, and while he did look fit and healthy during the weigh in, the fight didn’t go so well for him. Jeremy Stephens kept landing hard leg kicks, leaving the former Strikeforce champ’s leg badly bruised and hurt from early on.
Melendez showed massive heart and fought on for 15 minutes, but it was a lopsided bout that probably should’ve been stopped by his cornermen to protect him from further damage. Fortunately, his wife Keri Melendez has given an update, saying his knee didn’t suffer any serious injuries.
She also posted a couple of photos, and it’s safe to say that leg will be hurting for a long while. Here’s how Gilbert’s leg looks a day after UFC 215:
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
@GilbertMelendez ‘s a soldier. He’s gonna heal up quick. Thankful there is no knee damage. Again, we thank everyone for the messages ❤ pic.twitter.com/309nZAO6JL
— KeriMelendez (@KeriMelendez415) September 11, 2017
While he has faced mostly top ranked fighters including 3 former champions, Melendez is currently on a 4-fight skid that has dropped his UFC record to 1-5. He is also 35-years-old, with his last victory coming against Diego Sanchez about 4 years ago.
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