Arnold Allen vs Gilbert Melendez Expert UFC Picks Against the Spread - 7/6/2019
Arnold Allen vs Gilbert Melendez
UFC 239
T-Mobile Arena
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Arnold "Almighty" Allen (14-1-0) will face off in the Octagon against Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (22-7-0) at UFC 239 in T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The opening line has Allen coming in at -275 while Melendez is priced at +200.
Arnold "Almighty" Allen comes into this fight with 14 wins and 1 loss. The Trimley St. Martin, England product is 25 years old, weighs in at 145 lbs and is 5'8" inches tall. He has a 70.0" reach and fights in the featherweight division. Allen has a total of 6 fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his last time out, Allen earned a victory in round 3 against Jordan Rinaldi by unanimous decision. In the featherweight division, he is 41st in strikes with 186 and is 315th out of all fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
When it comes to strike accuracy, Arnold Allen ranks 383rd among UFC fighters and 46th in the featherweight division connecting on 44.5% of the shots he throws. He also has a total of 8 takedowns which ranks him 170th among UFC fighters and 19th in the featherweight division. Allen finishes 57.1% of his takedown attempts which ranks him 82nd among UFC fighters and 11th in the division. He ranks 45th in the division and 335th among UFC fighters for significant strikes with 115. Of those significant strikes, 88 of them were directed at the head while 21 of them were directed at the midsection which ranks him 42nd and 45th respectively in the division. At UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till, he earned a victory via submission in round 3 when he fought Mads Burnell. 2 fights ago, Allen earned a victory in round 3 when he fought Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson by split decision.
Putting on the gloves for this matchup, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez has a total of 22 wins and 7 losses. The 37-year-old hailing from San Francisco, CA is 5'9" inches tall and weighs in at 145 lbs. The Skrap Pack fighter competes in the featherweight division and has a 73.0" reach. He has compiled 7 fights in the UFC. Gilbert Melendez lost by unanimous decision when he fought Jeremy Stephens in his most recent fight at UFC 215: Nunes vs Shevchenko 2. Regarding strikes, Melendez is 211th out of all fighters in the UFC and 28th in the division with 378.
Regarding strike accuracy, he is landing 36.8% of the shots he throws which has him sitting at 60th in the featherweight division and 458th among UFC fighters. In addition, Melendez ranks 40th in the featherweight division and 296th among UFC fighters with a total of 3 takedowns. Ranking 50th in the division and 398th among UFC fighters, Melendez completes 18.8% of his takedown tries. With 271 significant strikes, he ranks 196th among UFC fighters and 26th in the division. Melendez ranks 28th in the division for significant strikes directed at the body with 43 and 24th for significant strikes directed at the head with 210. At UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Shevchenko, he lost via unanimous decision in the third round when he fought Edson Barboza. In the fight before that, Melendez lost in the third round when he fought Eddie Alvarez at UFC 188: Velasquez vs Werdum by split decision.
In this fight between Arnold Allen and Gilbert Melendez, it is a good idea to know how these two fighters stack up to each other. Arnold Allen is the more accurate striker of the two fighters, having connected on 44.5% of his punches so Gilbert Melendez will want to keep his hands up. When comparing physical qualities, we should start by looking at Arnold Allen who is 5'8" and the opponent on the other side of the cage 5'9". When comparing reach, Allen stretches 70.0" while Melendez has a fingertip to fingertip measurement of 73.0" meaning Allen would be wise to close the gap so Gilbert Melendez won't be able to use it to his advantage. Allen is the younger combatant in this fight at 25 years of age while Melendez has been around longer at 37 years of age. In terms of how long these fighters have been in the UFC, Allen has 6 fights giving him a disadvantage in experience in the Octagon while Melendez has battled 7 battles in the Octagon. With respect to overall experience in mixed martial arts, Allen has 14 victories and 1 defeat while Gilbert Melendez has an overall professional fight record of 22 victories and 7 defeats.
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Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take Arnold Allen (-275)
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