Tag: Kelvin Gastelum

The UFC 236 open workouts took place earlier today. Both men involved in the co-main event of the evening look ready for fight night.

A new interim middleweight champion will be decided when Kelvin Gastelum meets Israel Adesanya on Saturday night. But before the two fighters make the walk to the Octagon, they have to take part in fight week.

The UFC 236 open workouts were held today (Wed., April 10, 2019). First up was “The Last Style Bender” (via Twitter):

The Last @Stylebender hits the mats first in the ATL! #UFC236 pic.twitter.com/kKZkT9wvjk

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2019

Adesanya is a gifted striker who has a swift tongue to match. He will likely try to keep the fight on the feet and outbox Gastelum using his nine-inch reach advantage. However, he has never faced a wrestler with the chops of the former TUF winner.

As for Gastelum, his open workout was much more closely guarded. He did not do too much other than throwing a couple of punching combinations. Gastelum will likely look to get this fight to the ground, but we didn’t see any sign of that earlier today.

@KelvinGastelum with a shoutout to THA GREAT at #UFC236 Open Workouts pic.twitter.com/EbVQfokAql

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2019

UFC 236 will mark the first time in the promotion’s history that two interim title fights will be on the line at the same event.

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will meet for the interim lightweight strap in the main event.

The post UFC 236 Open Workout Highlights: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Israel Adesanya claims he can ‘f**k Kelvin Gastelum up’ using nothing but his jab in their interim middleweight title fight on Saturday night.

Fight week is always entertaining, and UFC 236’s lead-up has been a chip off the old block. Adesanya will meet Gastelum in the co-main event of the evening on Saturday night to decide the interim 185-pound champ.

“The Last Stylebender” was his usual self earlier today at the open workout scrums. But he just might have revealed his game plan to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto (via Twitter:

Izzy at open workout scrum. “I can f*ck him up with my jab if I want to.” pic.twitter.com/awEha1LoYR

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 10, 2019

Adesanya’s rise has been memorable. The striking phenom will no doubt try to keep the fight standing against Gastelum. The Nigerian boasts an impressive 85% takedown defense rate inside the Octagon, but he has never faced an opponent with the wrestling pedigree of Gastelum.

UFC 236 takes place April 13 inside the State Farm Arena from Atlanta, Georgia.

The post Adesanya Claims He Can ‘F**k Kelvin Gastelum Up’ With His Jab appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Many people are questioning if Israel Adesanya is being rushed to the top too soon and whether he has truly earned the right to be facing Kelvin Gastelum in the interim middleweight championship about at UFC 237. And while Kelvin Gastelum stopped short of explicitly saying that Adesanya has not earned his spot, he certainly […]

The post Kelvin Gastelum Questions if Adesanya Deserves Title Shot appeared first on MMA News.