Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight veterans Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum clashed last night (July 22, 2017) at UFC on FOX 25 inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
Last night, everything was on the line for Weidman. If he could avoid his fourth straight loss, Weidman was back in the immediate title mix. If not, his future at Middleweight — and frankly, with the UFC — was uncertain. While this bout stood to determine Weidman’s entire future, it was important for Gastelum’s situation as well. This fight determined whether Gastelum was a true Middleweight star, or if he would be forced to find a way back to 170 pounds.
Weidman opened the fight by fighting long. He jammed his opponent up with kicks up the middle and looked to fire long crosses without letting Gastelum into range. He then scored his first takedown of the fight, grabbing a double leg and letting Gastelum fall to his back on a guillotine attempt.
Weidman prevented his opponent from scrambling up and took side control. He threatened with a kimura, but Gastelum was able to scramble back to his feet. After four minutes and 50 seconds of success, Weidman suddenly absorbed a nasty left cross that knocked him to his ass along the fence.
Weidman survived, but suddenly all of his good work was erased.
Weidman returned to his lanky kickboxing and scored a good right hand before diving into the clinch. The takedown materialized along the fence, and Weidman looked to move into the back mount. He had it very briefly, but Gastelum just kept working back up to his feet.
Weidman clung to him like glue, and he eventually scored a takedown into full guard. From there, he began to find a home for elbows, as Gastelum didn’t do much to work back to his feet.
It was a strong round for the New Yorker.
Gastelum went after his opponent at the start of round three, scoring with good combinations. Weidman responded with a big combination of his own, begun with a slick uppercut off a takedown feint. Then, Weidman brought his opponent to the mat with a takedown along the fence.
This time, he was finally able to flatten his opponent out. He advanced into the back mount, where Weidman was able to lock up an arm triangle choke as his opponent turned to his back.
It’s been a while, but Weidman once again showcased his ability to fight smart. He made full use of his range by kicking Gastelum and punishing his attempts to close the distance. Additionally, his takedown attempts were well-timed, and they showed the advantage of size. There were quite a few times where Gastelum likely would’ve been able to escape or scramble, but Weidman’s orangutan arms allowed him to hold on.
Much was made ahead of this fight about Weidman’s cardio, but he outlasted Gastelum last night. Gastelum was relaxed, but he used a ton of energy standing back up. Again, Weidman’s size advantage was significant, as it forced Gastelum off his game a bit when they finally did get back to their feet.
Frankly, Gastelum was sloppy on his feet in the third round ... and fatigue could be the reason.
Weidman may not be the real champion like he claimed in the post-fight interview, but he’s definitely back in the title mix. Meanwhile, Gastelum is likely on his way back to 170 lbs. if the promotion will allow it. There’s really no reason that he cannot make the weight aside from diet, which can be fixed. This fight showed why Welterweight is necessary, as Weidman was simply too big for Gastelum to keep up with in the grappling exchanges.
For complete UFC on FOX 25 “Weidman vs Gastelum” results and play-by-play, click HERE!