Behind the Numbers: Strikeforce: 'Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal' fight complete statistical breakdown
On Sat., Dec. 17, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez may end up defending his belt for the final time as he takes on number one contender Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" in San Diego, Calif.
The rumor mills would seem to strongly indicate that Melendez will seek to ink a contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), should he be able to successfully defend his title.
The pressure is nothing new for "El Nino." Saturday will mark Melendez's seventh straight title fight.
His opponent, Masvidal, comes into the bout fresh off a dominant decision win over K.J. Noons at Strikeforce: "Overeem vs. Werdum" on June 18 in Dallas, Texas.
After the jump, we'll take a look at the statistical breakdowns of each fighter competing in Saturday night's championship battle:
Melendez and Masvidal share one common opponent in Rodrigo Damm. Melendez was victorious in his bout with Damm, securing a knockout victory. Masvidal, on the other hand, lost to Damm by way of a second round TKO.
CompuStrike took the time to analyze nine of Melendez' bouts, as well as 5 of Masvidal's. Being in the Christmas spirit, they decided to share their findings with you Maniacs.
First, let's examine the overall striking games of both of these explosive lightweights:
Total Strikes:
Melendez -- 104 of 232
Masvidal -- 72 of 129
Percentage:Melendez -- 45%
Masvidal -- 56%Total Power Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 60
Masvidal -- 33Total Non-Power Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 44
Masvidal -- 39
Both of these guys throw punches in bunches and plenty of kicks, to boot. Though Masvidal appears to be a bit more accurate, Melendez seems to be a busier overall striker and also a little more frequent with the power shots.
Masvidal has a boxing background. Melendez is more a ground game specialist. You'd expect "Gamebred" to hold the "arm striking" advantage. Let's take a look:
Total Arm Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 50 of 146
Masvidal -- 29 of 68Percentage of Arm Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 34%
Masvidal -- 43%Power Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 29
Masvidal -- 10Non-Power Strikes Landed
Melendez -- 21
Masvidal -- 19
These statistics are very similar to those of the overall striking picture. Again, Masvidal is more precise, but Melendez seems to be more active and causing more damage.
What about kicks and knees? Is it more of the same?
Total Leg Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 6 of 8
Masvidal -- 10 of 13
Percentage of Leg Strikes Landed:Melendez -- 65%
Masvidal -- 72%
Power Leg Strikes Landed:Melendez -- 4
Masvidal -- 5
Non-Power Leg Strikes Landed:Melendez -- 2
Masvidal -- 5
Very close, but Masvidal wins this leg of the race by a hair.
Melendez has a strong wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) background. You'd think he'd have an overwhelming advantage in this aspect of their games. Do the numbers prove that out?
Ground Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 48 of 78
Masvidal -- 33 of 48
Percentage:Melendez -- 62%
Masvidal -- 69%
Power Ground Strikes Landed:Melendez -- 27
Masvidal -- 18Non-Power Ground Strikes Landed:
Melendez -- 21
Masvidal -- 15Takedowns:
Melendez -- 11 of 28 for 39%
Masvidal -- 18 of 23 for 78%
Submission Attempts:Melendez -- 2
Masvidal -- 5
Dominant Positions:Melendez -- 4
Masvidal -- 3
Masvidal seems to have had more success in getting his fights to the canvas. However, once the fight gets there, Melendez gets the nod in the amount of damage done and overall dominance.
Do these statistics make you think any differently about this championship showdown? Who do you see taking home the belt after it's all said and done?
Input, please!
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My Input
These are the worst type of stories put out on this website. Anybody who knows 1/2 a shit MMA knows MMA Math doesn’t work and you are pulling out the freakin’ MMA calculator and hacking away.
Nothing Ever Changes When Nothing Ever Changes
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Some things are better off left unsaid jason
i for one appreciate the input Kevin…. Gilz by 4th rd TKO. :)
Dan gets it.
"Why? Will all his opponents be wearing Twinkies and Spam?" - Dakatak
Follow me on Twitter @MMABuffet
by Kevin Haggerty on Dec 15, 2011 7:58 PM EST up reply actions
man this is an awesome match up!
El Nino is the man, easily one of the top 3 lightweights on the planet, but Masvidal is NOOOO JOKE!!!
Dudes sleep on Jorge but they dont call him gamebred for nothing! the man is tough, and more importantly he is a GAME fighter!!!!
Melendez is a pretty damn good wrestler, and he better not try to fuck around with Masvidal standing, or this can turn into a very dangerous and competitive fight for him! But Gilbert has really come into his own, he fougt an absolutely Flawless fight against aoki in a masterful and ultra focused performance.
I dont know if Masvidal can keep this fight standing and thats the big question leading into this match up! El Nino aint no slouch standing but you dont wanna make your life difficult and fuck around with a guy like Jorge in the striking department.
Very interesting fight that imo isnt getting the credit that it deserves!
Not surprised to see you getting in on this John. You’re a man of refined taste.
I agree with you. This fight is getting buried a little bit, but it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.
"Why? Will all his opponents be wearing Twinkies and Spam?" - Dakatak
Follow me on Twitter @MMABuffet
by Kevin Haggerty on Dec 15, 2011 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
thank you sir...and ya damn right Im getting behind this, this fight can be anything but boring!
masvidal been fighting 250 lb dudes in backyards, and not even getting rocked.
This fight is going to be insane!!
Kevin…Riddle me this: How do you like Jorge chances in keeping the fight standing over the course of 25 minutes?
Kevin…Riddle me this: How do you like Jorge chances in keeping the fight standing over the course of 25 minutes?
I’m just not sure if that will be an issue. Hard ot believe this could go 5 rounds with the explosiveness of each fighter, ya know? I think somebody goes to sleep. The takedowns will be VERY interesting in this fight though, as neither guy has really been taken down by anyone.
Key stats on CompuStrike page:
- Melendez’s last 9 opponents were successful on just 27% of their takedown attempts (14 of 52).
- Masvidal’s opponents were succesful on only 29% of their takedown attempts (7 of 24)
I see a standup war until someone gets KO’ed. It comes down to: “Who is more precise with their standup?”
"Why? Will all his opponents be wearing Twinkies and Spam?" - Dakatak
Follow me on Twitter @MMABuffet
by Kevin Haggerty on Dec 15, 2011 8:17 PM EST up reply actions
to*
"Why? Will all his opponents be wearing Twinkies and Spam?" - Dakatak
Follow me on Twitter @MMABuffet
by Kevin Haggerty on Dec 15, 2011 8:17 PM EST up reply actions
I like Melendez...
But I’ll be cheering for Masvidal
In my avatar pic-what i dine on for every day of the week ( i hit the one in green twice on Fridays!!)
I hate Chorongota
by Starr788 on Dec 15, 2011 7:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions

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