Tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event is headlined by a key middleweight matchup featuring former title holder Robert Whittaker taking on Kelvin Gastelum.
Whittaker was initially slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.
Replacing ‘The Eraser’ against ‘The Reaper’ is former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum.
Whittaker and Gastelum were previously scheduled to collide at UFC 234, however the former champ was forced to pullout of that contest last minute due to a collapsed bowel.
Robert Whittaker (22-5 MMA) will enter tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 headliner on a two-fight winning streak, this after picking up unanimous decision wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier in his most recent efforts.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum (16-6 MMA) will be hoping to build off of his recent decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. Prior to that, the former TUF 17 winner had suffered three straight setbacks to opponents Israel Adesanya, Darren Till and Jack Hermansson respectively.
Round one of the UFC Vegas 24 main event begins and Gastelum is utilizing some early pressure early. Whittaker catches him with a left hand and then a kick to the body. Kelvin with a right hand. Robert Whittaker answers with a high kick that appears to stun ‘KG’. The former middleweight champ comes forward and lands a good punch. Gastelum is staying in there but Whittaker shoots in and scores an easy takedown. Good ground and pound now from ‘The Reaper’ as he works from half guard. Kelvin scrambles back up to his feet but eats a hard kick to the body for his efforts. The horn sounds to end round one.
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Things only went down hill for Gastelum in rounds two, three, four and five, as Robert Whittaker peppered him with a plethora of different punches and kicks. To his credit, the former TUF 17 winner stayed in the contest for the full twenty-five minutes.
Official UFC Vegas 24 Result: Robert Whittaker def. Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision
Who would you like to see Whittaker fight next following his victory over Gastelum this evening in Las Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!