MMA Preview – Jared Cannonier vs Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 34
JARED CANNONIER VS KELVIN GASTELUM FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 34? Sunday 22nd August, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 34? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 34? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 34 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 34? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
JARED CANNONIER VS KELVIN GASTELUM LOWDOWN
Jared Cannonier’s (13-5) middleweight quest was stopped in its tracks by Robert Whittaker last October. After slugging it out at heavyweight and light heavyweight, Cannonier finally dropped to a more natural 185 lbs and instantly became a middleweight problem. He TKO’d David Branch (2018), Anderson Silva (2019) and Jack Hermansson (2019) to set up a number one contender fight. However, he was outclassed by one of the best middleweights of all time losing a unanimous decision and even suffered a broken arm in the first round.
Cannonier was scheduled to fight Paulo Costa but the Brazilian had to withdraw again which has made room for another main event slot for Kelvin Gastelum (16-7(1)). He is also coming off a humbling handed out by Whittaker losing a unanimous decision in April. That was Gastelum’s fourth loss in his last five which is the trouble when you are fighting the best in the division. Israel Adesanya outpointed him in that epic interim title fight, Darren Till squeaked past in a split decision and then got submitted by Jack Hermansson. He broke the skid by outpointing Ian Heinisch but now has a mountain to climb to prevent five losses from six.
JARED CANNONIER VS KELVIN GASTELUM PREDICTION
Cannonier has only lost to Shawn Jordan, Jan Blachowicz, Dominic Reyes and Whittaker. There are very few middleweights that can beat any of them. Gastelum’s only weakness is his size as a middleweight and Cannonier has eight wins at heavyweight and is even better at 185 lbs. He will have a six-inch reach, and considerable power advantage.
However, Gastelum’s boxing, hand speed and durability enabled him to become a title contender and we finally saw his wrestling against Heinisch. If he mixes these together, he has a chance. He can’t just rely on his boxing, and he is a better wrestler than Cannonier, so he needs to have a game plan based around his wrestling. He needs to constantly threaten his lightening 1-2 down the pipe as a counter while level-changing to secure a takedown.
However, he needs a flawless performance which is hard to see considering his form. We expect the majority of the fight to stay on the feet where Cannonier should edge the exchanges. He is likely to dish out the most damage with leg kicks to chop Gastelum down and follow up with his hands.
We have seen Gastelum down larger and more powerful opponents, and he has a granite chin so he will always be in the fight. However, Cannonier has the skill to match his power and although he is not on Adesanya or Whittaker’s level, his technique, size and reach swing this firmly in his favour but Gastelum is always a good shout as the dog.
Prediction: Cannonier via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Gastelum to win
