The UFC 188 card scheduled for Mexico City on June 13 has added a lightweight battle between Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez that is likely to serve as the evening’s co-main event. Both men have been atop the lightweight rankings for many years, and a matchup between the two has been talked about for years, but only recently have both been with the UFC.
Both men are among the most successful fighters at lightweight in the last decade, so it is interesting to see that this bout sees both men coming off a loss. Both men have logged over 20 wins (Melendez with 22; Alvarez with 25) against just four losses and neither man has ever lost two in a row.
Melendez may be the one with more pressure. He has actually lost two of his last three, though both were title shots. In the first bout he went the distance with Benson Henderson, then he lost in the second round to Anthony Pettis, getting submitted after a decent opening round. He had never been stopped before in his career, and it certainly was not the performance he wanted. What is more, Melendez has not really fought enough lately to establish a rhythm.
Even the absolute top stars try to average two fights a year, and for the last three years “Ill Nino” has three fights, so he needs to win and keep winning. He had been sitting around waiting for a title shot, but he has now lost twice and it is time to get back to work for him. He is now 32, that inactivity the last three years came at the prime of his athletic career.
Alvarez lost his UFC debut last September against Donald Cerrone, and he had to pull out of a fight with Benson Henderson in the interim because of an injury. Alvarez came over from Bellator, where he was a long-time belt holder and an established star, but he lost his first match coming in the UFC door. Despite a great career, Alvarez will ultimately be looked at by what he did in the UFC, and going (0-2) for starters is not what he had in mind.
