Tag: Kelvin Gastelum

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is extremely confident he’ll get the job done this weekend (Sat. February 9, 2019) against Kelvin Gastelum.

The Aussie is preparing for what would be his first official middleweight title defense. He fought Yoel Romero in a five-round main event last summer, which was not for the title after Romero missed weight. Now, he’ll face Gastelum, who earned his title opportunity with wins over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Whittaker previewed his match-up against the former Ultimate Fighter winner. “Bobby Knuckles” believes he’s simply “too strong” for the former welterweight competitor:

“I see myself hitting Kelvin until he falls. I’m just too strong for him, too fast; I hit too hard. I’m better in every single way …. and I’m really going to hurt the guy. Look it’s a fight so who knows? Anything can happen.

“But I can tell you I’m coming into this [Saturday] in the greatest form of my fighting career. And that’s a scary prospect for Kelvin. Because even on my worst day I’m an extremely dangerous fighter.

“Right now, my stand up game is at an highest. It’s become a real strength for me, I’m ready to go.”

UFC 234 will certainly have some middleweight bouts to keep your eye on. Especially in the co-main event, which could produce the next challenger for the title. Rising star Israel Adesanya will step into the Octagon against former middleweight king Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

Adesanya is undefeated in his MMA career, last knocking out Derek Brunson in the first round of their bout at Madison Square Garden in November. He’s looking for the biggest win of his career, in what he hopes to be a highlight-reel finish of one of the greatest middleweights of all time.

UFC 234 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia this Saturday night.

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Kelvin Gastelum is feeling extremely confident heading into his UFC 234 middleweight title fight against Robert Whittaker – to say the least.

Gastelum has earned his shot at the 185-pound title against “Bobby Knuckles” in Australia. Speaking at a media luncheon this week to promote the event, the former Ultimate Fighter winner offered a bold prediction for the bout (via MMA Junkie):

“I’m predicting a first-round knockout,” Gastelum said. “I feel so confident in my abilities and confident in what I’ve done in the sport.”

With back-to-back wins against the likes of Michael Bisping and Ronaldo Souza, Gastelum is heading into the first title fight of his career. However, he’ll have a tough task ahead of him in Whittaker, who hasn’t lost since February of 2014. Whittaker is currently on a nine-fight win streak. He won the 185-pound title back in July of 2017.

Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero to capture the interim middleweight championship via unanimous decision, however, when undisputed champion Georges St-Pierre vacated his title due to injury, Whittaker’s status was promoted. This will be Whittaker’s first career title defense due to Romero missing weight in their rematch this past summer.

UFC 224 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on February 10th.

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Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to action in his home country to defend his title against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234.

Whittaker will defend the 185-pound strap against someone other than Yoel Romero for the first time since 2017. He will do so against the No.4-ranked Gastelum in the night’s main event.

UFC 234 takes place at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The main card will air live on pay-per-view while the prelims are expected to air on ESPN+.

2018’s breakout fighter of the year, Israel Adesanya, will meet Anderson Silva, the longest reigning middleweight champion the sport has ever known in the evening’s co-main event.

Here is a look at the UFC 234 fight card and the probable order.

UFC 234 Main Card

Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum (No. 4)

Israel Adesanya (No. 6) vs. Anderson Silva

Kai Kara-France vs. Raulian Paiva

Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon

Jim Crute vs. Ryan Spann

UFC 234 Undercard

Wuliji Buren vs. Jonathan Martinez

Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem

Austin Arnett vs. Shane Young

Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon

*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.

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