UFC Vegas 34: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum Preview

 

On August 21 the Ultimate Fighting Championship will give us what should be a very entertaining middleweight fight between Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

It’s no coincidence that Jared Cannonier is nicknamed ‘The Killa Gorilla.’ Eleven of Cannonier’s 13 wins as a pro were via knockout or submission and he’s not afraid of fighting the very best in the UFC. Cannonier has faced the likes of Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz, Dominick Reyes, Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson and Robert Whittaker and his UFC losses all came up against champions or former title challengers so no one can question his setbacks.

Cannonier has fought as a heavyweight and light heavyweight in the past and in 2018 he cut down to 185 lbs to make the middleweight limit. This helps explain why he’s 3-1 as a middleweight with three wins by KO or TKO. In his last fight, he lost a unanimous decision against Whittaker at UFC 254 on October 24th.

 

Born: March 16th, 1984

Age: 37

Country: United States

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 185 lbs

Reach: 77″

Stance: Switch

Association: MMA Lab

Class: Middleweight

Record: 13-5

 

A former The Ultimate Fighter winner at welterweight, Kelvin Gastelum is a current middleweight star who has honed his skills over time. Gastelum joined the UFC as a professional with a 4-0 record at age 21 and he doesn’t enter the octagon unless it’s against high-level competitors.

Gastelum, who was born and raised in San Jose, California of Mexican descent, began his martial arts journey through a wrestling gym. His 5-0 record on the Mexican and Arizona MMA circuits earned him the opportunity on the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter: Team Sonnen vs. Team Jones and he became the youngest winner in the popular show’s history.

Kelvin Gastelum is a high-level striker with a robust grappling base and like Cannonier, he’s faced some of the very best in the UFC, including Uriah Hall, Tyron Woodley, Nate Marquardt, Neil Magny, Vitor Belfort, Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping, Ronaldo Souza, Israel Adesanya, Darren Till and Robert Whittaker. Like Cannonier, in his last fight he lost against Whittaker via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 24 on April 17th.

 

Born: October 24th, 1991

Age: 29

Country: United States

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 185 lbs

Reach: 71″

Stance: Southpaw

Association: Kings MMA

Class: Middleweight

Record: 16-7-1

 

Since Cannonier isn’t a counter puncher, Gastelum should fight at a close range and utilize his jabbing techniques. Gastelum’s durability is proven, as he’s never been finished via knockout and he can have a scrap with Cannonier and survive.

Cannonier should focus on his striking output, especially his jab, as he has no grappling offense. Gastelum is a complete martial artist and Cannonier successfully defends just 54 percent of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Cannonier will be in trouble if Gastelum can chain together takedown attempts out in the open, far from the fence. Gastelum’s striking, grappling and cardio are superior and also keep in mind that Cannonier has never fought beyond three rounds.