Middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum are set to fight on July 18. According to reports the two title hopefuls will throw down on ‘Fight Island’ with the winner moving one step closer to a shot at current 185lb king Israel Adesanya.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN broke the news last night that two of the best middleweights on the planet will square off next month, he wrote. “Per sources, Jack Hermansson (@jackthejokermma) and Kelvin Gastelum (@KelvinGastelum) have agreed to meet on July 18 on Fight Island.”
Hermansson will enter the fight off the back of a TKO loss to fellow contender Jared Cannonier. Prior to that, the Swedish fighter had been in the form of his life picking up four straight wins inside the octagon, including a high-profile, upset victory over ‘Jacare’ Souza. He also holds other big wins over the likes of Scott Askham, Thales Leites, and David Branch.
Gastelum is also looking to get back in the win column after two straight defeats. The Ultimate Fighter winner previously went five rounds with Adesanya for the interim middleweight title in one of the best fights of all-time – he lost a unanimous decision in that fight. Gastelum then met Darren Till in his middleweight debut at UFC 244. In the fight, he struggled to pin down the Englishman who easily outpointed him over three rounds to get the judge’s decision. Since suffering his second straight loss Gastelum has tested positive for marijuana and was subsequently banned from the sport for four months. Now his time has been served it appears Gastelum is ready to go and fans don’t have to wait too long to see him back in action.
As of right now, no further details about the July 18 ‘Fight Island’ card have been released. It remains to be seen if this fight will headline or will help build up a bigger event. Be sure to stay tuned to LowKickMMA for the breaking news and up-to-date information on this event as we get it.
Who wins Jack Hermansson or Kelvin Gastelum?