K. Gastelum and J. Cannonier faced off at UFC Vegas 34 Photo: Instagram
On Saturday night (21), Jared Cannonier took another important step towards achieving the long-awaited fight for the middleweight (under 83,9kg) belt. In the main fight of UFC Las Vegas 34, the North American defeated Kelvin Gastelum in the unanimous decision of the judges in an electrifying fight. Alexandre pantoja e Josiane Nunes They also won and left Brazil with 100% success in the show.
In third place in the middleweight rankings, Cannonier could be next in line for the category belt, which should soon be challenged by the champion Israel adesanya e Robert whittaker. The ‘Killa Gorilla’ has won four of his last five fights and has a record of 14 triumphs and five setbacks in his career.
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In ninth place in the classification, Gastelum suffers his second consecutive defeat in 2021. Rafael Cordeiro's pupil is once again stopped by a top player in the category and now boasts a record of 17 triumphs and eight setbacks.
The fight
Cannonier and Gastelum started the duel with a lot of momentum. Jared tried to shorten the fight with low kicks while the ‘short guy’ looked for a pressure game in the stand-up fight and closed the distance with a good sequence of jabs. Rafael Cordeiro's pupil tried to improve his use of his left punches but Jared was cunning and moved around the octagon a lot. The first round ended at the exact moment Gastelum was trying for a takedown.
Worried about Cannonier's knockout power, Gastelum circled to get out of his range and tried to break his opponent's great distance. Halfway through the second half, Kelvin started to improve in the fight and landed a beautiful left blow on Cannonier. Low kicks also started to be used by the ‘Kings MMA’ athlete.
Kelvin returned seeking even more control of the Octagon, but Cannonier managed to land a beautiful counterattack that led to the former TUF champion being knocked down. Immediately, Rafael Cordeiro's pupil tried to take down the ball to change the strategy. Showing good recovery, Gastelum is once again in good shape in the fight and bringing danger to his opponent. Kelvin launches a blitz on his rival but doesn't have much time for any blows.
In the first minute of the fourth half, Kelvin lands a beautiful shot on Cannonier's waistline, who responds by trying a bltiz. The winner of TUF 17 shortens the fight and fights on the cage after suffering a series of blows from the North American. The two fighters exchange blows openly in the center of the octagon. Gastelum tries to grab Jared's leg once again and fails. The fourth round presents a good level of combat between the two fighters.
In the final round, after (more) intense frank exchanges, Gastelum corners Cannonier on the fence and, despite great difficulties, tries to put him down. Jared manages to free himself and returns to the center of the octagon. The two athletes show good physical fitness even after almost 25 minutes of intense combat. At the last minute, another failed takedown attempt by Gastelum, this time, with the ‘Killa Gorilla’ complaining of a poke in the eye. The fighters exchanged blows until the last second of the fight.
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