Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, continues his march toward the 185-pound title, taking on long-time division bruiser, Kelvin Gastelum, in UFC Vegas 24’s main event TONIGHT (Sat., April 17, 2021) inside the promotion’s APEX facility LIVE on both ESPN and ESPN+. In UFC Vegas 24’s co-main event, Lightweight stalwart Jeremy Stephens make his return to 155 pounds against Michigan mauler Drakkar Klose, who aims to enter the Top 15 with a win over “Lil’ Heathen.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 24 fight card below, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Whittaker vs. Gastelum.”
Note: The UFC Vegas 24 live results will post from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC VEGAS 24 QUICK RESULTS:
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum — Whittaker def. Gastelum by unanimous decision (50-45 x3)Drakkar Klose vs. Jeremy Stephens — CANCELED
Andrei Arlovski vs. Chase Sherman — Arlovski def. Sherman by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun — Malkoun def. Alhassan by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Tracy Cortez vs. Justine Kish — Cortez def. Kish by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Alexander Munoz vs. Luis Pena — Pena def. Munoz by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Juan Espino vs. Alexandr Romanov — Romanov def. Espino by technical decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lupita Godinez vs. Jessica Penne — Penne def. Godinez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bartosz Fabinski vs. Gerald Meerschaert — Meerschaert def. Fabinski by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:00 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTSZarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes
Austin Hubbard vs. Dakota Bush — Hubbard def. Bush by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Anthony Birchak vs. Tony Gravely — Gravely def. Birchak by TKO (punches) at 1:31 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
UFC VEGAS 24 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1: Counter right lands for Whittaker. Gastelum steps in with a hard low kick. 2-1 from Whittaker, hard check hook. They trade leg kicks, right hook by Whittaker. 1-3. One minute in. Good exchange near the fence. Whittaker follows a jab with a head kick that knocks Gastelum back. They trade as Whittaker looks to follow up. Nasty left hook. Gastelum buzzes him with a straight left. Another big left and Whittaker answers with a body lock takedown into side control. Gastelum regains half guard. Whittaker looks for some ground-and-pound. Two minutes to go.
Whittaker maintaining position well. One minute to go. Gastelum scrambles to his feet, blocks a head kick. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 2: Low kick from Whittaker, answers a combination with a jab. Rapid exchange, neither lands clean. Gastelum shoots, eats a right hand on the break. Left hand by Gastelum as he advances. Stiff jab lands for Whittaker, counter lefts. One minute in. Low kick from Whittaker, landing off the back foot. Another body lock takedown into side control, some shots on the way up. Stiff jab connects. Check hook. Gastelum lands a leg kick, blocks the 1-2-head kick, eats the follow-up right cross. 1-2 from Whittaker, denies a low single. They trade lefts near the fence. Two minutes to go.
Check hook from Whittaker. Gastelum still advancing and looking for combos, but it’s the counters and combos of Whittaker that are doing work so far. Good low kick from Gastelum. Body kick lands for Whittaker. 3-2, glancing head kick. One minute to go. Sequence of jabs. Whittaker body kick and Gastelum ties up. They trade leg kicks. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 3: Whittaker continuing to control the fight on the back foot. He takes a low blow, elects not to take time. Both go for head kicks. Jabs from Whittaker on the back foot. Nice combo by Gastelum, one of his best sequences so far a minute in. Nasty lead right by Whittaker. 1-2-3 connects. Side kick to the thigh. Two minutes in. Stiff jab, nice counter right. Counter jabs as he slips a combination. Brutal left hook catches Gastelum throwing. Two minutes to go. Two minutes to go.
Gastelum’s going for it but Whittaker just isn’t there to be hit. Another combination falls short for Gastelum. Knee, stiff jab connect for Whittaker. Heavy counter 1-2. One minute to go. Low kick from Whittaker appears to get Gastelum’s attention. Whittaker catches a low kick and lands a pair of rights. 1-2-1 buzzes Gastelum. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 4: Early exchange in the center. Combination from Whittaker. Gastelum with a well-timed single-leg attempt, nothing doing. Low kick from Whittaker. Jump knee attempt. One minute in. Overhand left by Gastelum. Whittaker low kick, head kick blocked. Gastelum with a left hand in combination. Two minutes in. Clean uppercut and counter 2-1 from Whittaker. Gastelum with a left on the break. Whittaker tries a head kick. Close-range exchanges. Sharp combo by Whittaker with two minutes to go.
Double jab connects. Gastelum with a lead left. Whittaker tries the 1-2-head kick and they trade hooks. Counter rights by Whittaker. He tries a takedown, no dice. Gastelum hits his own double-leg with a minute to go but can’t establish. Another counter right and double jab by Whittaker. He tries a head kick, lands leg kicks. Nice counter uppercut. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 5: Gastelum needs a knockout and he’s fighting like it. Whittaker looks for a reactive takedown, can’t get it. One minute in. Whittaker continuing to circle and counter. Right hand connects, then a leg kick. Left hand from Gastelum. To the body this time, eats a left hook in return. Two minutes in. Whittaker lands a front kick and follows with a left hook. Whittaker runs the pipe for a single-leg into half guard with two minutes to go.
Whittaker staying heavy. Looking for the back, scrambling with a minute to go. Both hooks in. Back to guard before the bell. Masterful performance from “The Reaper.” 10-9 Whittaker.
Final result: Whittaker def. Gastelum by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Chase Sherman
Round 1: Sherman working behind his jab, lands a low kick. Inside low kick from Arlovski. Left hook from Arlovski as they trade. One minute in. Arlovski goes low-high with a combination. Low-high 2-3. Head kick attempt. Counter left by Arlovski as he takes a low kick. Sherman with his own counter left two minutes in. Arlovski punches into the clinch for a moment. Double jab. Right hand to the body. Two minutes to go.
Sherman with a 1-2. Good combination. Brief clinch, Arlovski low kick and Sherman right hand on the break. Double jab from Arlovski, good right hand as they trade. Sherman stings him against the fence and follows up with hard shots. Arlovski slows things down with a clinch. Low kick connects, then a good right hand. Right hand once again. Arlovski lands a two-piece. Close round. 10-9 Sherman.
Round 2: Combinations flowing for Sherman. Arlovski tries to lead with a body shot. Sherman low kick, eats one in return. One minute in. Brief clinch. Sherman tries a body kick. Jab exchange. Hard exchange. Low-high 2-3 from Arlovski. Good jab, 2-1 behind it. Body kick, double jab two minutes in. Sherman pops him with a jab, eats a counter right. Sherman to the body. Right hand from Arlovski. Another on the lead. Two minutes to go.
Sherman answers a combination with body shots. Arlovski low kick. He grabs a body lock and takes Sherman to the fence. One minute to go. Arlovski to the body, follows with a low kick. Sherman with a lead right. Low kick and right hand from Arlovski. 10-9 Arlovski.
Round 3: Trading jabs. Arlovski lands a combination. One minute in. Low kick and combination from Arlovski. Left uppercut. He takes a hard knee to the junk. They go back to trading in the center when they resume. Good shots from both as Sherman marches forward. Sherman answers a body kick with a low kick. Good combination. Arlovski cracks him with a pair of right hands. Two minutes in. Sharp counter left by Sherman. Both land hard combinations. Arlovski stings him with a counter right. Another. 1-1-1-2. Two minutes to go.
Arlovski with a 1-2 to the body, then a cuffing right upstairs. Hard lead right into a three-piece. Low kick. Arlovski double jab. They trade left hooks. One minute to go. Arlovski combo falls short. Big right hands. Sherman still trying to advance, eats a low kick and right cross. 10-9 Arlovski.
Final result: Arlovski def. Sherman by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun
Round 1: Malkoun trips Alhassan to the mat in the first ten seconds, then looks to wrap up a guillotine against the fence. He loses it, absorbs Browne elbows as he re-shoots. They separate. Malkoun tries to shoot behind a jab, denied. Hard left hook by Alhassan. Malkoun ducks a left hook for a single-leg attempt. Same inside trip gets him down again, but he pops back up. Outside trip does the job next, still can’t keep him down. Malkoun staying attached two minutes in. Another outside trip, manages to establish in half guard this time. Alhassan trying to work his way up. Two minutes to go.
One hook in for Malkoun, landing left hands. Alhassan makes it up, dragged back down, pops back up. Malkoun changes levels for a double-leg to put him on his rear again. Alhassan manages to stand and separate. Good body kicks. Straight left, another body kick. 10-9 Malkoun.
Round 2: Trading jabs to start. Malkoun once again spins him down with a single-leg, then slams him back down from the body lock when he tries to stand. Brief guillotine attempt from Alhassan, abandons it. Malkoun looks for his own guillotine, moves to north-south and then side control. Alhassan tries to bridge, caught in another guillotine and forced back down. Two minutes in. Alhassan turns to his knees and gets caught in an anaconda choke. Malkoun uses it to retake side control. Two minutes to go.
Alhassan back to his knees, caught in a front headlock again. Rolled over with that same guillotine. He makes it to his feet, has to fight off a single-leg against the fence. They separate with a minute to go. Alhassan tries a tired head kick. Hard body kick. Malkoun with a 2-1. Hard right hand into a level change. 10-9 Malkoun.
Round 3: Early flurry and level change from Malkoun. He can’t get it, then re-shoots behind a right hand for another single-leg into half guard. One minute in. Malkoun grabs the front headlock to try and keep Alhassan from standing, has to separate. Alhassan 1-2, Malkoun left hand. Malkoun with a combination into another level change two minutes in. They separate. 2-3 into another takedown attempt. Body lock with two minutes to go.
Foot stomps from Malkoun, knee to the head. Separation, another shot. He runs the pipe into guard. One minute to go. Alhassan tries to stand, unable to. Now back to his feet, Malkoun shoots back in, denied. He tries another shot, pulls guard when it’s not there, and avoids a desperate diving right hand. 10-9 Malkoun.
Final result: Malkoun def. Alhassan by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Tracy Cortez vs. Justine Kish
Round 1: Left hook from Cortez, eats a low kick and right hands. Early aggression from Kish, trying to spin Cortez to the mat and landing elbows. Cortez grabs a body lock, lands a knee a minute in. Nice inside trip from Cortez into guard. Heavy punches land for her. Brutal hammerfists as Kish looks for armbars. More good shots. More good shots, then a scramble with two minutes to go.
Cortez takes side control, then looks for the back from the front headlock. Body triangle with a minute to go. Both throwing punches. 10-8 Cortez.
Round 2: Good counter right from Kish. Another one connects. Again. She looks for an elbow. One minute in. Cortez grabs a body lock as she takes a low kick and takes her to the fence, then muscles her to her knees and takes the back. Body triangle once again. Kish manages to burst to the feet two minutes in, landing punches on the break. Kish pressuring hard. Lead right from Cortez, eats a body kick. Cortez 1-2, Kish counter right. Two minutes to go.
Body kick lands for Cortez. Hard counter left hook. Kish with a 1-2 and lead right. Good body kicks. One minute to go. Body kick from Cortez in return. Cortez left hook met by an elbow. Counter right after taking a leg kick. Kish doubles up the leg kicks. 10-9 Kish.
Round 3: Kish comes out aggressively once again. Good counter right. Cortez lands a heavy left hook, eats a right hand in return. Double right from Kish a minute in. Cortez shoots in, hits an inside trip from the body lock to land in guard. Kish turns to her knees, eats some heavy right hands. Two minutes in. One hook in for Cortez. Kish looks to spin into guard and gets caught in a guillotine. She survives and separates. Trading kicks. Two minutes to go.
Body kick exchange. Kish swats her with a back fist, then drops her with a counter right after eating a body kick. Looking to attack on the fence. Cortez survives and separates. Uppercut lands for her. One minute to go. Body kick connects. Left leg this time. Cortez grabs a body lock, can’t use it and eats a right hand. 10-9 Kish.
Final result: Cortez def. Kish by split decision
155 lbs.: Alexander Munoz vs. Luis Pena
Round 1: Munoz lands a right to the body. Munoz tries to change levels, denied. Pena with a front kick downstairs, gets taken down throwing a leg kick a minute in. Back up, back down, back up against the fence. Munoz holding onto the body lock. Two minutes in. Knees to the thigh. Pena separates and tries a head kick on the break. 1-2 from Munoz falls short, low kick does not. Pena body kick with two minutes to go.
Straight left lands for Munoz. Calf kicks as well, straight left behind it. Pena tries a straight left, lands a jab. Munoz tanks a flying knee to grab a body lock. One minute to go. Pena gets underhooks and separates. Right hook by Munoz. 2-1. He catches a kick, throws Pena down, lands on the way up. Heavy exchange. Big right hook stings Pena. Three-piece combo. 10-9 Munoz.
Round 2: Low kick lands for Munoz. Hard straight left by Pena. Right hook behind it. One minute in. Body kick and straight left by Pena. Munoz lands a calf kick and body shot. He ducks a head kick for a straight left, just barely avoids a knee before coming back with a calf kick. Good straight lefts from both, Munoz follows with some quality shots. He tries to shoot, denied, re-shoots and completes it. Pena works his way back to his feet. They separate. Jabs from Pena. Pena answers a low kick with an uppercut with two minutes to go.
Jab exchange. Pena with an uppercut-cross and jab. Munoz catches a kick, can’t use it. Munoz low kick. One minute to go. Calf kick connects once again. Straight left from Pena. Combination met by a Munoz right hook. Munoz ducks a head kick. They trade in the center, big lefts from both. Close round. 10-9 Pena.
Round 3: Solid body shot from Munoz. Low kick exchange. Pena knocks him back. Munoz calf kick. Pena pops him with a jab. One minute in. Another low kick spins Pena around and he comes back with a flying knee. Nice up-jab. Straight left from Munoz, lands a jab. Two minutes in. Pena landing jabs as well. Hard low kick by Munoz. Overhand left connects. Counter uppercut from Pena as he eats a body shot. Pena jab and good right hand. Munoz low kick. Two minutes to go.
Munoz catches a kick for a takedown in center cage. Pena pops back up and manages to separates. Right hook by Munoz, left cross by Pena. Munoz catches a body kick and takes him to the fence with a rear waist lock. Pena again gets underhooks and separates. Exchange. Nice shots from Pena. One minute to go. Munoz lands a right hand and shoots. Pena lands a knee before separating. Munoz lands a three-piece. Jabs from Pena, left cross. Head kick. Munoz looking spent, stings Pena with an overhand left. 10-9 Pena.
Final result: Pena def. Munoz by split decision
265 lbs.: Juan Espino vs. Alexandr Romanov
Round 1: Romanov advancing, Espino circling. Romanov tries a front kick. Head kick attempt. Nice reactive takedown a minute in. Espino works to a knee, then his feet, Back down, back up. Romanov pressing him against the fence. Two minutes in. They separate. Lead left into the clinch. Espino counters with a throw into side control. Two minutes to go.
Espino patiently steps over into mount. Romanov holding onto him, then turns to his knees and stands. Espino drags him down again. Romanov stands and turns to face him. They separate and Espino buzzes him with a right hand before the bell. 10-9 Espino.
Round 2: Body kick from Romanov. Espino punches his way into the clinch and they slug it out. Romanov knocks him back with a right cross and puts him on the fence. Looking for a single-leg, eats a knee, avoids a guillotine to spin him into guard a minute in. Short shots from Romanov. Two minutes in. Now he postures up for some bigger shots. Espino rolls to his knees, eats right hands as he tries to work his way up against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Espino turns to face him, avoids a guillotine to put him on the fence in return. Romanov separates and punches his way into a single-leg attempt. He switches to a double. They separate before the bell. 10-9 Romanov.
Round 3: Espino lands an early right hand and takes Romanov down with a body lock. Back up, back down. Back up again, low blow from Espino. Romanov taking his time to recover, looks like he’s in a lot of pain. He says he can’t straighten his leg and the ref waves it off; I believe that’s a technical decision, and if so, that’s a 10-9 third round for Espino.
Final result: Romanov def. Espino by technical decision
115 lbs.: Lupita Godinez vs. Jessica Penne
Round 1: Some hard punches from Godinez to start, eats a knee in the clinch. Penne lands a a jab and unsuccessfully tries to take the back in the clinch. One minute in. Godinez takes her down, then lets her stand. Godinez body jab, lands punches inside. Penne punches her way into the clinch, gets tripped down. Godinez lets her up again. Two minutes in. Body kick from Penne. Hard lead right. Godinez comes back with one of her own. High-amplitude takedown puts Penne on her back and she lets her up again. Two minutes to go.
Godinez fires a right hand into a head-and-arm throw, only for Penne to take her back. Penne playing backpack. One minute to go. Godinez handfighting. 10-9 Penne.
Round 2: Jabs from Godinez, good combination. She ties up on the fence and Penne tries to jump on her back. Godinez separates. Godinez lands a left hook that Penne turns into a back take a minute in. Both hooks, body triangle. Two minutes in. Godinez manages to turn and face her, then separate. Jab from Godinez. Two minutes to go.
Godinez left hook, Penne jab. Counter 2-1 from Godinez, who dumps Penne to her back and disengages. Combination, counter jabs. One minute to go. Godinez to the body, cracks her with another jab. Penne tries a whizzer throw, ends up on her back. Godinez avoids a leglock attempt. 10-9 Penne.
Round 3: Counter jab from Godinez. Penne puts her on the fence, gets reversed. Whizzer throw attempt. One minute in. They separate. Godinez digs a right to the body, then lefts upstairs. Penne shoots , denied with underhooks. Two minutes in. Penne tries a triangle and gets yeeted to the mat. Stiff jab by Godinez. Right hand. Counter knees catch Penne shooting. Godinez slings her to the mat again. 1-2 from Penne. Two minutes to go.
Penne shoots again. Godinez defends and separates. Penne shoots again, gives up the body lock and gets taken to the fence. Penne tries to jump on a triangle again. Denied. 10-9 Godinez.
Final result: Penne def. Godinez by split decision
185 lbs.: Bartosz Fabinski vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Round 1: 1-2 from Meerschaert to start, straight left on the exit. Fabinski marching forward, gets pressed against the fence. Fabinski reverses, lands a knee to the body, gets reversed in turn. One minute in. Fabinski separates and shoots directly into a guillotine. Meerschaert goes palm-to-palm and out go the lights.
Final result: Meerschaert def. Fabinski by technical submission (guillotine choke)
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Dakota Bush
Round 1: Jabs and low kicks from Bush to start. Hubbard lands his own leg kick, absorbs some hard hooks. More low kicks from Bush. Glancing spinning back fist. One minute in. Counter left hook connects, another hard leg kick answers in kind. Good right hand after denying a takedown. Hubbard rips a body shot. Knee from Hubbard, who checks a leg kick and absorbs a 1-2. Two minutes in. Good body kick from Bush. Low kick to left hook to knee from Hubbard. They trade calf kicks. Bush lands a body shot, takes a finger in the eye in the process. They get right back to trading heat when they resume. Two minutes to go.
Stiff jab lands for Hubbard behind a knee. Bush tries a spinning back kick. Check hook. Body kick lands. Hubbard lands a leg kick, avoids a spinning back fist. Bush answers a front kick with right hands. One minute to go. Low kick exchange. Hubbard knocks him back with a teep. Hubbard with a knee to left hook to takedown. 10-9 Bush.
Round 2: Both land early right hands. Bush shoots in, absorbs a knee as he takes Hubbard to the fence. Hubbard gets his leg free and separates a minute in. Left hook connects. Bush overhand, failed trip, side kick connects. Bush tries to catch a leg kick, gets forced to his rear. Hubbard digs a knee to the body, takes a low mount. Half guard now. Elbow to the body. Bush trying to work his way up, gets forced back down and eats right hands. Full guard with two minutes to go.
Short elbows and punches from Hubbard. Bush with some elbows and hammerfists off his back. One minute to go. Bush nearly gets to his feet, ends up mounted against the fence. Hubbard can’t get the americana, takes the back at the bell. 10-9 Hubbard.
Round 3: Snap kick to the body lands for Hubbard. Bush tries a side kick to the face, lands a left hook. Left hook from Hubbard in return. Heavy exchange on the fence and Bush shoots against the fence. He moves to a rear waist lock, tries to take the back and ends up on his back in half guard a minute in. Hubbard quickly works his way back to mount. Hard elbow. Two minutes in. Awkward scramble ensues and Hubbard nearly locks up a triangle. Bush gets out and re-engages, but loses the scramble with two minutes to go.
Hubbard waits out a potential guillotine and takes half guard. Hard elbow. One minute to go. Hubbard staying heavy. Bush tries to bridge, gives up mount. 10-9 Hubbard.
Final result: Hubbard def. Bush by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Anthony Birchak vs. Tony Gravely
Round 1: Birchak answers a body kick with a right hand. Low kick to jab from Gravely and they trade right hands. Birchak lands leg kicks, eats an overhand right, and shoots in. Gravely spins him to the mat and looks for the back a minute in. Birchak manages to use the fence to stand, Gravely still attached. Gravely re-shoots, can’t get it, but drops Birchak with a right cross on the break. Birchak manages a nice scramble to land on top in half guard. Hard elbows. Gravely tries to stand and Birchak commits to an arm-in guillotine, only to lose it. Gravely on top in guard, heavy left hand. Birchak rolls to his knees and Gravely hurts him badly with shots under the armpit. Two minutes tog o.
Gravely continuing to pound, briefly considers an arm triangle. Birchak somehow survives and gets back to his feet, grabbing a kimura grip. Good takedown from Gravely, can’t establish, more punches from turtle after a mat return. Good knee on the way up, gets sprawled on. Birchak with a knee on the break, gets buzzed with a right hand at the bell. 10-8 Gravely.
Round 2: Gravely shoots in behind a right hand, changes levels after eating an elbow. He completes the takedown into half guard against the fence. One minute in. Birchak manages to work his way back to the feet, only to throw a naked low kick and get floored by a counter left hook. One more hammerfist and in comes the ref.
Final result: Gravely def. Birchak by TKO (punches)