UFC | Vegas 34 | Jared Cannonier | Kelvin Gastelum | incredible potential stagnates
Channel: world Trends
Date: 22/08/2021

UFC Vegas 34, The Morning After: Kelvin Gastelum’s incredible potential stagnates
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UFC Vegas 34, The Morning After: Kelvin Gastelum’s incredible potential stagnates
’s hard to describe just how great a fighter Kelvin Gastelum is.

Every six-to-12 months, I am forced to try, because that’s roughly how often The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) champ finds himself in a main event and is slotted a “Fighter on Fighter” skill breakdown. Unfortunately, year after year, those breakdowns remain largely unchanged, because Gastelum uses largely the same selection of tools as ever.

Regardless of that lack of development, what skill analysis misses — what has to be witnessed in his actual fight footage — is the intangibles. Kelvin Gastelum is an immense natural talent with great fighting instincts, and he’s paired himself with an elite camp in King’s MMA, a gym known for breeding hard-nosed scrappers.
The fallout from UFC Vegas 34 is going to be interesting to watch. Jared Cannonier, who entered the event as the No. 3 ranked fighter in the middleweight division, likely held onto that ranking with a unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum. In an ideal world, the win would have possibly set Cannonier up for a UFC title fight against the winner of the expected bout between champion Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. However, Cannonier, who has been with the UFC for 12 fights, told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier that he might not be able to wait for that big fight because, “I’m broke.”

Cannonier’s blunt assessment of UFC pay should be the primary topic of conversation for at least a few days, but thanks to the manner in which the UFC controls the message and the speed in which it moves from one event to the next, Cannonier’s words will fade quickly.

Dana White and the UFC should be the biggest loser of Saturday night, but we’ve been down this road before and we know White and the UFC never truly lose.
It’s a great combination. Gastelum’s excellent instincts, that innate ability that led him to win TUF at 21 years of age, were honed further by fire. Watching his movement, timing, and grit, Gastelum indeed seems destined for gold.

#OnAMission4Gold has stood atop his Twitter profile for years and years now.

Unfortunately, Gastelum sinks further from realizing that dream with each passing year. Somewhere around 2015, Gastelum was real, real close to earning a shot at undisputed gold at 170 lbs. A split-decision vs. Tyron Woodley went against him, which did hurt, but Gastelum still seemed on the path when he bludgeoned former champion Johnny Hendricks a few fights later.
It’s a great combination. Gastelum’s excellent instincts, that innate ability that led him to win TUF at 21 years of age, were honed further by fire. Watching his movement, timing, and grit, Gastelum indeed seems destined for gold.

#OnAMission4Gold has stood atop his Twitter profile for years and years now.

Unfortunately, Gastelum sinks further from realizing that dream with each passing year. Somewhere around 2015, Gastelum was real, real close to earning a shot at undisputed gold at 170 lbs. A split-decision vs. Tyron Woodley went against him, which did hurt, but Gastelum still seemed on the path when he bludgeoned former champion Johnny Hendricks a few fights later.

Sadly, weight management issues were frequent. Gastelum is 5’9”, and though he has a thick build, making 170 lbs. is not an unreasonable ask for his stature ... even if it is impossible now.

Permanent banishment to Middleweight did not immediately end Gastelum’s title aspirations. No, his career at 185 lbs. started very hot, as Gastelum largely blitzed through the old guard. Still, when Chris Weidman big brothered him after surviving the early storm, the cracks began to show