Former Striekforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will make his long-awaited return to action at UFC 239 on July 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada to face Arnold Allen in Featherweight action.
Gilbert hasn’t competed since September of 2017, losing to Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision at UFC 215. The loss was “El Nino’s” fourth in a row, after only losing three fights prior in a 12 year span.
Melendez was set to face Arnold late last year at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Finale, but an injury forced him to the sidelines a bit longer. As for Allen, he was set to face Rick Glenn in a replacement fight, but had to bow out with an injury of his own.
Still, Gilbert’s and Arnold’s careers over the last few years have gone the opposite direction, as Allen has won seven in a row, five inside the Octagon, while Melendez is in desperate need of a win after suffering the longest losing streak of his combat career.
UFC 239 will be headlined by a Light Heavyweight title fight between division champion Jon Jones and Thiago Santos. In the co-main event, UFC champ-champ Amanda Nunes will put her women’s Bantamweight strap on the line against ex-title holder, Holm.
Also on the card, Ben Askren will face Jorge Masvidal, while Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannnou collide in a hard-hitting Heavyweight matchup.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 239: “Jones vs Santos” click here.