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Kelvin Gastelum (17-6-1) is set to face number one UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker (23-5-0) on April 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whittaker was originally scheduled to take on Paulo Costa on this date but the Brazilian pulled out due to illness.
Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum were supposed to meet at UFC 234 but that bout was canceled too, with Whittaker pulling out hours before the fight due to a hernia.
With the two ranked middleweight fighters finally facing off against each other at the UFC Fight Night main event, the odds are favoring The Reaper. Kelvin Gastelum knows better than to be written off, especially after a rough series of previous fights that have put him in a good spot to challenge Whittaker.
In this article, we look at five reasons why Kelvin Gastelum could upset Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24.
#5 - Kelvin Gastelum knows what to expect from Robert Whittaker
Kelvin Gastelum was preparing to challenge Robert Whittaker for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 234 in February 2019. After going through the complete camp, the fight was called off with Whittaker needing surgery for an internal hernia and bowel displacement, just hours before the fight.
The two middleweight fighters went their own way following the incident, with both of them getting shots at Israel Adesanya later in 2019.
With Kelvin Gastelum presented with another opportunity to take on Robert Whittaker, he has just picked up from where he left off. Speaking about finally getting a crack at the New Zealand native, Kelvin Gastelum said:
"As soon as I got the call, I was not hesitant at all to accept the fight. This is a fight we’ve wanted a long time. We feel confident going into the fight just because we’ve prepared for him before. I know what I expect."
#4 - Kelvin Gastelum pushed Israel Adesanya to his limits
After his fight against Robert Whittaker was canceled, Kelvin Gastelum went on to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 236. While Izzy won the fight after five hard rounds via unanimous decision, he could not avoid getting thrashed by Gastelum in the process.
Kelvin Gastelum battered Israel Adesanya during the fight by catching him multiple times in the head. He absolutely denied being put away despite a number of knuckles, elbows and body kicks.
Gastelum piled on so much pressure that he pushed Adesanya to his limits. The Last Stylebender was heard saying at the start of the fifth round:
"I'm willing to die, I'm prepared to die."
Speaking in an interview, Izzy also revealed how that moment was perhaps the most powerful moment in the middleweight champion's action-packed life - all thanks to Kelvin Gastelum, the underdog.
Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman said the bout against Gastelum taught Izzy the most that he could ever learn in a single fight. He said:
"Israel's had a 100 fights, and not in any single fight before that, I've seen Israel's mentality tested to that degree. Not even close."
#3 - Kelvin Gastelum might have left the worst behind him
Kelvin Gastelum has been through a rough patch in the past few years. Starting with the loss against Israel Adesanya in 2019, Gastelum suffered a series of close and somewhat unlucky losses. After Izzy, he lost to Darren Till by a tiny margin (86-85) that could have gone either way.
Gastelum's only fight in 2020, against Jack Hermansson, also ended in a loss after a crafty yet lucky heel hook by the Swedish fighter.
However, Kelvin Gastelum bounced back at UFC 258 against Ian Heinisch. He showed massive improvements to his game, particularly grappling. Speaking about the win that snapped his three-fight losing streak, Gastelum said:
"It means a lot. I haven't got my hand raised since 2018 and it's been hard to get back each and every time after failing to get motivated again. And again and again and again, knowing that you might fail again. It plays a lot in the mind and the spirit too, I guess."
Kelvin Gastelum believes that all his previous experiences have led him to this moment, to the bout against Robert Whittaker.
"I got myself out of my own way. In the past, I feel like I’ve been my own worst enemy," said Gastelum. "Now I’ve had all this experience, the good, the bad, we’re putting it all together. Yeah, man, you guys will see the results of that on the 17th of April."
#2 - Kelvin Gastelum loves a firefight
While an accomplished wrestler, Kelvin Gastelum also loves a firefight. Take a few of his previous fights, for instance. He absolutely thrashed Johny Hendricks in 2016, landing 134 total strikes, all of which came through a vicious stand-up game.
Against Darren Till, Gastelum landed a higher volume of strikes than the Englishman, albeit with a slightly lesser conversion percentage.
In the bout against Israel Adesanya, Gastelum went toe-to-toe with The Last Stylebender and landed 92 total strikes, 91 of which were considered 'significant'.
In comparison to one of the most crafty and skilled strikers with 109 significant strikes, Gastelum's 91 were certainly not too far behind. Robert Whittaker is well aware of Kelvin Gastelum's striking potential.
Speaking about the bout, Robert Whittaker told the media that he was expecting fireworks from Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker said:
"I'm expecting an absolute war. He has dangerous power, he can wrestle-grapple, he's tough as nails.. I expect the worst, hope for the best.. I think this is gonna be a cracker of a fight. I think it'll be fireworks"
#1 - Kelvin Gastelum's cardio is up with back-to-back camps
Robert Whittaker's last fight came in October 2020, against Jared Cannonier. Since winning the bout, Whittaker has had four months of off-time. Although The Reaper has worked constantly to not get out of shape, in comparison, Kelvin Gastelum has been constantly working.
Gastelum fought Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 in February 2021, and got off to preparing for the bout against Whittaker in April.
Robert Whittaker had put off his title fight against Israel Adesanya as he wanted to spend time with his family in December for Christmas and the birth of his fourth child.
On the other hand, Gastelum has had no time off. Having back-to-back camps must have certainly helped him for the five-round bout against Whittaker, especially with cardio being one of the weaker aspects of Gastelum's game.
