UFC 188 results recap: Kelvin Gastelum vs Nate Marquardt fight review and analysis

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Kelvin Gastelum and Nate Marquardt clashed last night (June 13, 2015) at UFC 188 inside Arena Ciudad in Mexico City, Mexico.

After quickly rising through the ranks at welterweight, Gastelum's poor eating habits caught up to him and forced him to go up a weight class. Regardless, Gastelum was hoping that with a victory, he would be given a second chance to drop down to 170 pounds.

Since rejoining the UFC, Marquardt has really fallen apart. His welterweight run ended horribly, and this bout was likely his last chance to remain even slightly relevant.

Gastelum wasted little time in pressuring his opponent against the fence. From there, Gastelum put together some fluid combinations, lighting up the former title challenger early. Marquardt eventually made his way back to the center of the Octagon, where he landed some nice punches of his own.

With just over a minute remaining, Gastelum finished a double leg takedown against the fence and quickly moved into back mount. Marquardt showed some of his jiu-jitsu ability with a nice escape, but Gastelum returned to touching him up on the fight and rocked him to end the round.

Overall, Gastelum was firmly in control heading into the second round.

Marquardt starting the second round looking a bit dismayed, as Gastelum started the round with a pair of hard low kicks. Gastelum was really picking Marquardt apart while "The Great" just kept looking for the one big right hand. Under the pressure of Gastelum's punches, Marquardt willingly gave up top position a couple of times, looking to avoid the onslaught of punches.

By the middle of the second round, it was getting ugly. Gastelum was utterly dominating his opponent, both on his feet and on the mat. While Marquardt would occasionally attempt a single piece of offense -- be it an overhand or leg lock -- the fight was clearly over. Nonetheless, Marquardt survived until the final bell.

As it turns out, Marquardt recognized it as well, admitting that he had nothing left. His head coach and cornerman, Trevor Whittman, took note and called off the bout himself. All in all, it was a smart choice.

There was nothing left for Marquardt in the third except for more damage.

Gastelum, as usual, looked excellent in this win. He put a beating on Marquardt, pushed forward constantly, and fluidly transitioned on the mat. He's one of the best prospects in the world -- at welterweight -- and he showed it.

In particular, Gastelum's Southpaw jab is excellent. It's really obvious in fights against other Southpaws, like Rick Story, but Gastelum still managed to snap back his opponent's head quite a few times. In addition, his body kick landed just about every time he threw it, and it definitely took something out of Marquardt.

Hopefully, Gastelum gets his wish and is allowed to drop back down to welterweight. Assuming he finally takes his nutrition seriously, Gastelum is one of the very best fighters in the world at that weight class. For his next bout, a fight with Dong Hyun Kim would make sense.

This might be the end of the road for Marquardt. He's been on the end of some bad knockouts, but this is the first time where it looks like his body just failed him. After getting rocked at the end of the first, Marquardt failed to recover, and that's a serious red flag that a fighter is shot.

Regardless of whether he's still in the UFC after this loss, Marquardt has some soul-searching to do.

Last night, Kelvin Gastelum mauled Nate Marquardt en route to a corner stoppage. Can Gastelum make a title run?

For complete UFC 188 "Velasquez vs Werdum" results and play-by-play, click HERE!