The UFC interim middleweight title will probably be up for grabs later this spring, and I will offer my thoughts on the UFC’s most up-to-date title fight announcement in the present MMA odds and ends.
Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum, UFC 236 Together with UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker hurt, the UFC has decided to create an interim belt and it’ll be on the line at the main event at UFC 236, that can be set for April 13 in a yet-to-be-determined location. In the blue corner will be Israel Adesanya, fresh off his win over Anderson Silva in UFC 234, while at the red corner will be Kelvin Gastelum, who had his struggle against Whittaker taken away in the last second the afternoon of UFC 234.
The information of Adesanya vs. Gastelum was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. No location was announced, but rumors on Twitter possess the occasion pegged for Atlanta, Georgia, however that is far from supported at this time.
Betting odds for the bout also were published here on MMAOddsBreaker.
Making an interim title will probably be contentious for a few considering what happened last season using Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson winning handheld straps and not getting shots at the undisputed titles, but it was a requirement because of Whittaker never fought since last July against Yoel Romero. The UFC needed to keep the middleweight division moving along in his absence, therefore as far as this author’s view is concerned, an interim title at 185lbs was absolutely the right choice from UFC president Dana White and co..
As far as the matchup goes, the Adesanya vs. Gasltelum struggle on paper looks like it has the potential to be a huge fight. Adesanya (16-0) is coming from a decision win over the legend Silva and general is 5-0 in the Octagon along with other notable victories over Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson. At age 29, Adesanya is smack dab in his prime and shows improvements almost every moment we see him struggle. Sure, the Silva struggle wasn’t his very best performance, but he got his hands raised, took no more damage in the process, and the win ended up making him a title shot. Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is currently 10-3, 1 NC complete at the UFC and he’s got a 4-1, 1 NC record as a middleweight. Gastelum is coming off of back-to-back wins over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo”Jacare” Souza and in age 27 he is correct in his prime as well. Both Adesanya and Gastelum are a couple of the very best middleweights around the planet right now, and contemplating the striking acumen of both men, this has got the capacity to be a firefight.
As far as the chances go, they haven’t been published yet, but I would anticipate the offshore sportsbooks to give something up for the fight soon. When I had to guess, Adesanya are the betting favorite, though Gastelum absolutely will be a live dog in this fight as a result of his knockout power. It’ll be interesting to see what other conflicts will be added to UFC 236 at the coming weeks, however this interim name fight between Adesanya and Gastelum is a superb beginning to the card’s reservations.
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