Gilbert Melendez is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He also competed in PRIDE FC, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock. Melendez was nicknamed after the El Niño storm, it was given to him by a Japanese broadcaster describing his fight-style and the manner in which he stormed through the Shooto Lightweight division.
| Born: | April 12, 1982, Santa Ana, California, United States |
| Other names: | El Niño |
| Nationality: | American |
| Weight: | 155 lb |
| Division: | Featherweight, Lightweight |
| Reach: | 73 in (185.42 cm) |
| Style: | Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu |
| Fighting out of: | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Team: | Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, El Niño Sports, Fairtex Gym |
| Rank: | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie |
| Years active: | 2002–present |
| Twitter: | Gilbert Melendez's Twitter profile |
| IMDb: | Gilbert Melendez's IMDb |
About Gilbert Melendez
UFC lightweight was a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion.
Before Fame
He studied education at San Francisco State University before starting his amateur fighting career.
Achievement
He was named the MMA Lightweight of the Year in 2006.
Family Life
His longtime girlfriend, Keri Anne, gave birth to his first daughter, Keylakay, in August 2010. He and Keri Anne got married in 2013.
Associations
He unsuccessfully challenged Benson Henderson for the UFC Lightweight title on April 20, 2013.
Information related to Gilbert Melendez
- World Extreme Cagefighting champions
- American Muay Thai practitioners
- Doping cases in mixed martial arts
- Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople
- Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
- Mixed martial artists from California
- American sportspeople in doping cases
- American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- Lightweight mixed martial artists
- San Francisco State University alumni
