Before You Go, Stay!

               

                                              It appears Kelvin Gastelum will continue competing in the UFC’s Middleweight Division, at least for his next fight, with #8 ranked MW, Vitor Belfort. Gastelum is a fresh off an impressive Third Round TKO of Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 (12/10/16) but following the bout he expressed his desire to return to the Welterweight Division. Gastelum was scheduled to face Donald Cerrone (at WW) at UFC 205, but (Gastelum) failed to make weight and the fight was scrapped. This was not the first time the Twenty-five year old missed weight, nor was it the first time the UFC demanded he fight in the MW division for doing so.

At just 5’9” Gastelum is short for the 185lbs division, but you can’t argue with success, Kelvin is undefeated at that weight. Hopefully this match-up with Belfort is a sign of Gastelum’s commitment to the weight division, he has dealt with taller opponents with ease in the past and sets a pace many middleweights can’t keep up with. A win over a top-ten opponent, like Belfort, likely gets him closer to a title fight at MW than three wins at WW would, because the UFC is reluctant to promote Title bouts with fighters with a history of missing weight.

Gastelum is The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner at MW, he is 7-2 in the UFC, both losses at WW by Split Decision: to Neil Magny (11/21/15) and in a fight he also missed weight in, to now WW Champ, Tyron Woodley (1/31/15). It’s understandable that Kelvin believes he is best suited for the 170lbs class and that might be true (he was ranked #8 before UFC 205), but for now he should keep playing that role of underdog. Gastelum was the last pick by TUF 17 coach, Chael Sonnen, yet he finished all three of his opponents in the TUF House (2 Subs, 1 KO) and beat Uriah Hall by SD in the show’s Finale to take home the hardware.

Vitor Belfort may be a perfect match-up as well, coming off back to back TKO losses to: Mousasi (2^nd Round, UFC 204) and Jacare (1^st Round, UFC 198). It’s been a little bit since The Phenom was tearing through the middleweight division, kicking the heads off of Rockhold, Bisping and Henderson and with TRT exemptions a thing of the past the Thirty-nine year old, Belfort is looking toward retirement. Belfort has indicated this fight in Fortaleza, Brazil at UFC Fight Night 107 will be his last.

25-13 Vitor’s first round is war, he has eighteen finishes in the opener, but at just 13-2 Gastelum already has five wins of his own in the first. Kelvin will do well to avoid the opening onslaught of the aging, Belfort and look to outwork him in the latter rounds, likely getting a stoppage win. The 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt, will likely employ a similar game-plan as the Kennedy fight, avoid the ground and keep forward pressure to tire the former Heavyweight Champ, Belfort.

UFC Fight Night 107 takes place March 11, 2017 from Fortaleza, Brazil, Brazil.  

UFC 206 Breakdown

                The Number Two ranked Featherweight, Max Blessed Holloway celebrated his Twenty-fifth birthday on Sunday and the Hawaiian hopes to end his week by wearing the Interim FW Belt home from UFC 206 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Holloway’s last lost was to stripped FW Champion, Connor McGregor, but that was over three years ago, an eternity in a young fighter’s career, at UFC Fight Night 26 (8/17/13). Since, Blessed has torn through the division, racking up nine consecutive wins against the UFC’s top Featherweights (4KO/TKO, 2Subs). In his last fight, Holloway earned a Unanimous Decision over Number Three ranked FW, Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199 (6/4/16). Blessed is revered for his versatile striking: kicks, knees and punches and his length, at 5’11” he’s tall and long for 145lbs. 16-3 Holloway faces former Lightweight Champion, Anthony Showtime Pettis.

               

Milwaukee’s Anthony Pettis wants to add another trophy to his, already packed list of achievements. The last WEC LW Champ and former UFC LW champ is also the only MMA athlete to appear on Wheaties cereal box. A flashy striker with superb BJJ, Pettis has finished sixteen of his nineteen wins (7 TKO/KO, 9 by Sub). After losing his LW belt to Rafael dos Anjos (3/14/15) and a pair more to top lightweights, Eddie Alvarez (1/17/16) and Edson Barboza (4/23/16) Pettis made the decision to drop down ten pounds to the Featherweight class to face Charles Oliveira, Submitting the BJJ Black Belt with a Third Round Guillotine-Choke (1:49) in August. Like opponent, Holloway, Showtime prefers the finish, he is 3-5 in fights that see the judges’ scorecards.

               

Donald Cowboy Cerrone has finished his last three fights at 170lbs. Following his second loss to former LW Champ, Rafael dos Anjos, Cerrone decided the weight cut was holding him back and moved up to the Welterweight Division. Cowboy is a fan-favorite for his laid back attitude coupled with his remarkable work ethic and toughness. He is known to take fights on short notice and is one of the promotion’s most active fighters, fighting in his fourth fight of the year. A tradition the Thirty-three year old has kept up each year since 2013. Last fight #5 ranked, Cerrone stopped Rick Story by TKO (2^nd 2:02) at UFC 202. He faces 20-15 Matt The Immortal Brown in Toronto, due to Kelvin Gastelum’s weight woes at UFC 205 (for more on that, check out my article: ). Cerrone owns twenty-three finishes, sixteen by Submission, a fate Brown has fallen to ten times in his career.  

               

Thirty-five year old, Matt Brown is looking to bounce back from a pair of losses in 2016. He submitted Tim Means with a First Round, Guillotine-Choke (4:44) in his last win at UFC 189 (7/11/15). The Immortal has only been to decision six times (2-4) in his thirty-five career fights. Brown went on a 7-0 run with six TKO/KO wins, from 2012-2014. Brown is a fan favorite for his head-down, move forward style. A cast-member on Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing to winner Amir Sadollah in the quarter-final round in the TUF House. The Ohioan won his UFC debut at the TUF 7 Finale (6/21/08) by Second Round TKO (3:40) of Matt Arroyo.

                In the Featherweight Division #11 The Korean Superboy Doo Ho Choi

gets his hands on a top ten FW, when he faces #4 Cub Swanson.  Twenty-five year old, Doo Ho Choi’s only career loss came in just his third fight back in 2010. Since he has won twelve straight with ten KO/TKO stoppages. Choi has collected eight straight TKO/KO including three First Rounders in the UFC: Thiago Tavares (7/8/16) KO 2:42, Sam Sicilia (11/18/15) KO 1:33, and Juan Manuel Puig (11/22/14) TKO 0:18. The South Korean hopes to advance into the top 10 with a win over Swanson.

               

23-7 Cub Swanson has been the gate keeper to the FW division’s top tier. 8-2 in his last ten bouts, Swanson’s only losses are to Max Holloway (4/18/15) and Frankie Edgar (11/22/14). A pro since 2004, he has only lost by TKO once in his career. Winner of his last two, Swanson looks to dig his heals into the divisions’ top five and hold the surging Choi at bay.  http://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/12/gastelum-gets-no-favors.htmlhttp://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/12/gastelum-gets-no-favors.htmlhttp://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/12/gastelum-gets-no-favors.htmlhttp://fightpage.blogspot.com/2016/12/gastelum-gets-no-favors.html

UFC 206 No Dud

               

                                         When UFC 206 was announced for Toronto on December 10^th, the Main Event was rumored to feature Canada’s own, George St Pierre. Daniel Cormier, who was scheduled to face Anthony Johnson for Cormier’s Light Heavyweight Championship, lobbied for the sport’s most dominant Welterweight to return to the Octagon from a three year hiatus, and assume top billing. GSP has been one of the company’s top Pay-per-view earners and Cormier wanted in on the action. St Pierre’s negotiations broke down and a groin injury to Cormier forced the LHW bout to be put on hold. So what does the UFC do when they’re in need of a Main Event worthy fight? They get creative, stripping two-Division Champion, Connor McGregor of the Featherweight Belt and upgrading Jose Aldo’s Interim FW gold to the undisputed Championship. Also in order to help sell the event (UFC 206) the UFC has made, an interesting contender fight, into an Interim FW Championship bout, Anthony Showtime Pettis versus Max Blessed Holloway.

               

Don’t get caught up in the idea that interim belts don’t matter. This fight guarantees the winner a shot at the title and in a company where Championship fights are guaranteed only to be later revoked, Gold is the tangible proof of a fighter’s spot in line. McGregor has said he plans to take most of 2017 off and twelve months have passed since he won the FW belt. Let’s not forget the list of contenders looking for a crack at Connor’s Lightweight strap. This move gives the UFC options, the Dec 10^th winner will likely face Aldo to unify the belts before McGregor fights again, then Connor can fight for the LW Championship and decide how enticing the FW division’s gold is at that point.

               

For McGregor a rematch with Aldo can’t be too high on his list of goals, it isn’t likely he will better his thirteen second Knock Out of the long-time Division King. He also beat Max Holloway in 2013, since Blessed has won nine straight (4 TKO/KO, 2 Subs). The most interesting match-up may be if former LW Champ, Anthony Pettis successfully battles his way to the top spot. Third Degree Tae Kwon Do Black Belt, Pettis and McGregor have yet to meet in the cage, and make for an interesting clash of styles.  

                While you may not agree that stripping Connor was a good move, it may have been the best play, not only for UFC 206 PPV sales, but also the future of the two divisions. The Holloway Pettis fight is a Main Event worthy bout and with Donald Cerrone vs Matt Brown, Tim Kennedy vs Kelvin Gastelum and Doo Ho Choi vs Cub Swanson the card isn’t as weak as critics would have you believe. Unfortunately it is sandwiched between a pair of mega-cards in 205 and 207 making the absence of St Pierre and the LHW Championship appear much worse.