Report: Paulo Costa withdraws, Kelvin Gastelum fills in against Jared Cannonier for Aug. 21 headliner

Kelvin Gastelum will be filling in for another UFC main event with Paulo Costa recently withdrawing from his fight with Jared Cannonier on Aug. 21.

Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Costa pulled out of this main event bout due to undisclosed reasons (it was later revealed that Costa withdrew due to lack of pay). Cannonier and Gastelum have verbally agreed to the fight, but no contracts have been signed.

Gastelum, who will still get a sizeable camp for this main event, is coming off a decision loss to former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker back in April. He had filled in on short notice after Costa withdrew due to a severe flu. Gastelum ultimately came up short in that fight but he’s still a dangerous contender at 185 pounds and someone who could drag Cannonier into the later rounds.

As for Cannonier, who is also coming off a decision loss to Whittaker, this is an opportunity to prove he’s still a contender on the rise in the middleweight division. Before his loss to “Bobby Knuckles,” Cannonier produced three-straight TKO wins to start off his 185-pound run.

What say you, fight fans? Who wins this new main event between Cannonier and Gastelum?

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