Stephens Shuts Down A Gutsy Melendez Early, Picks Up Biggest Win Of His Career

UFC 215 took place on Saturday night, and once again, the UFC put on an event full of intriguing matchups. The pay-per-view main card opened with a pivotal battle in the featherweight division. Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez made his 145-pound debut when he fought featherweight contender Jeremy Stephens. Stephens landed a leg kick to start the fight. Melendez responded with punching combinations. As the round went on, Stephens continued to land leg kicks. Both fighters later traded swinging punches. Stephens appeared to do severe damage to Melendez's left leg due to his leg kicks. Melendez fell to the ground due to his leg. Melendez stood up and started swinging fight-ending punches. Stephens then dropped Melendez with a leg kick. The round ended with Stephens landing punches from on top. Despite the injured leg, Melendez came out swinging to start the second round. Stephens began to attack Melendez's leg once again. Melendez continued to have success landing jabs. Stephens began to throw combinations and landed punches. Stephens dropped Melendez again with a leg kick, but he quickly got back to his feet. As the round went on, both fighters landed blows. Stephens was the more active striker towards the end of the second round. In the final seconds of the round, Stephens dropped Melendez once again with a leg kick. Stephens came out aggressive to start off the final round. Melendez also threw punches, but Stephens appeared to land the more clear shots. As the round went on, Stephens continued to land punching combinations. Melendez was dropped once again by a leg kick, but he got right back up and continued fighting. Stephens went back to throwing combinations and continued to land on his opponent. In the final minute, Melendez was dropped multiple times by leg kicks. Stephens then gained top position and landed shots for the remainder of the fight. Official Result: Jeremy Stephens def. Gilbert Melendez by unanimous decision https://twitter.com/ufc/status/906704149999263745