Gilbert Melendez
Acting • Born 1982-04-12
Biography
Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist who has fought at Featherweight and currently fights at Lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He also competed in PRIDE FC, Shooto, and Rumble on the Rock. Melendez holds the distinction of being one of a select group of fighters who have ever been ranked #1 in the world in two weight classes in MMA, among the likes of Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Kazushi Sakuraba, and BJ Penn. Melendez was nicknamed after the infamous El Niño storm that wreaks havoc across the Pacific Rim. It was given to him by a Japanese broadcaster describing his fight-style and the manner in which he stormed through the Shooto Featherweight division
Filmography
33 credits
Strikeforce: Revenge
Movie • 2006
Self
Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion
Movie • 2007
Self
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie
Movie • 2006
Self
Strikeforce: Nashville
Movie • 2010
Self
Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg
Movie • 2009
Self
Strikeforce: Evolution
Movie • 2009
Self
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Movie • 2011
Self
Pride Shockwave 2006
Movie • 2006
Self
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz
Movie • 2009
Self
Pride Bushido 12
Movie • 2006
Self
Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Movie • 2011
Self
WEC 10: Bragging Rights
Movie • 2004
Self
WEC 5: Halloween Fury
Movie • 2002
Self
WEC 6: Return of a Legend
Movie • 2003
Self
Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson
Movie • 2008
Self
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le
Movie • 2008
Self
Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier
Movie • 2012
Self
UFC on Fox 7: Henderson vs. Melendez
Movie • 2013
Self
Mexican Fighter
Movie • 2013
Self
Fight Life
Movie • 2012
Himself
UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II
Movie • 2014
Self
UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum
Movie • 2015
Self
UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos III
Movie • 2013
Self
Quintet Ultra
Movie • 2019
UFC on Fox 20: Holm vs. Shevchenko
Movie • 2016
Self
Supreme Champion
Movie • 2010
Logger
UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2
Movie • 2017
Self
UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos
Movie • 2019
Self
Submission Underground 8
Movie • 2019
Self
Yarennoka!
Movie • 2007
Self
The Ultimate Fighter
TV • 2005
Head Coach
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
TV • 2013
Self
NCIS: Los Angeles
TV • 2009
Self - Strikeforce Fighter