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Despite being the first UFC event in two weeks, UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum doesn’t seem to be getting too much attention right now. That isn’t entirely fair.
The event, also dubbed UFC Vegas 34, isn’t the greatest card of all time on paper, but it still has plenty of potential to be an entertaining one.
With some exciting fighters and highly-ranked prospects up and down the card, this show should be well worth watching for any UFC fan.
Here are five reasons why you need to watch UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum.
#5. Alexandre Pantoja might be the best flyweight in the UFC right now
Brandon Moreno might be the current UFC flyweight champion, but is ‘The Assassin Baby’ really the best 125lber in the UFC? On the face of it, of course he is – he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo, after all.
However, Alexandre Pantoja, who fights at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event against Brandon Royval, may also have a claim to being the promotion’s top flyweight.
‘The Cannibal’ was defeated by Figueiredo in their fight at UFC 240, and also suffered a contentious loss to Askar Askarov in 2020, but he’s also the last fighter to hand Moreno a defeat in the octagon.
So while Askarov is ranked above him right now, if Pantoja can pick up an impressive win over Royval this weekend, there’s every chance that the UFC could book him into a title fight with Moreno in the near future, especially with Askarov's injury.
Will Pantoja win this weekend? On the face of it, he should. Royval is a dangerous fighter with excellent skills, particularly on the ground, but ‘The Cannibal’ essentially has no weaknesses.
A high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with incredibly heavy hands, Pantoja has finished opponents inside the octagon with both submissions and with brutal knockouts. And it’s likely that an opponent as aggressive as Royval will play into his hands, handing him another highlight reel finish.
And even if that isn’t enough to net Pantoja a UFC title shot, then it’ll at least provide fans with an entertaining fight this weekend.
#4. Trevin Jones looks like an explosive prospect to watch
The UFC’s bantamweight division is absolutely full of talent right now, and there are a number of high-end prospects all looking to climb into the upper echelons in the near future.
One such prospect might be Trevin Jones. ‘5 Star’ debuted in the UFC last August, and were it not for the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s draconian rules around marijuana, he would already be 2-0 in the octagon with two knockouts to his name.
Based on those finishes – knockouts of Mario Bautista and Timur Valiev – Jones has remarkably fast hands and carries a lot of power in them. In fact, he hit Valiev so hard that the Russian attempted to take down referee Chris Tognoni after the fight was stopped.
This weekend is Jones’ chance to officially go 2-0 in the UFC, and it’s highly likely that he can pull it off. That’s because his original opponent Mana Martinez has withdrawn from the event and has been replaced on less than a week’s notice by newcomer Saidyokub Kakhramonov.
Jones is clearly not invulnerable – the fact that he suffered six losses prior to his arrival in the UFC tells you that. However, he must be flying high on confidence right now, and so against a late-notice opponent, he’ll be hoping for another explosive knockout – meaning fans should keep a close eye on him.
#3. Vinc Pichel is one of the UFC’s most underrated fighters
The UFC has countless numbers of unfairly overlooked fighters, and one of them – Vinc Pichel - is in action at this weekend’s event.
Pichel is actually one of the UFC’s elder statesmen, as he’s set to turn 39 years old in November. However, the TUF 15 veteran looks as good as he ever has, and is the owner of one of the UFC’s more underrated records.
‘From Hell’ is 6-2 in the octagon since debuting in 2012, and while he hasn’t shown himself to be a ruthless finisher, his wins over Jim Miller and Roosevelt Roberts in particular were highly impressive.
He’s also a largely entertaining fighter, with a gritty, workmanlike style based around his strength in the clinch and on the ground, as well as his heavy hands.
This weekend sees him take on Austin Hubbard, a fighter who hasn’t really established himself in the UFC, going 3-3 since his debut in 2019. So can Pichel pull off his third win on the bounce? It’s definitely a possibility.
Whether he wins or loses, though, this promises to be an entertaining fight either way – making the presence of ‘From Hell’ one reason to watch this weekend’s UFC Fight Night.
#2. Mark Madsen could develop into a lightweight Yoel Romero
The possibility of Olympic wrestling gold medallist Gable Steveson entering the UFC at some point has been a hot topic this week. If he were to do so, he’d join a pretty lengthy list of successful Olympians to enter the octagon.
One such Olympian is in action this weekend, as Mark Madsen, who won an Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 games, takes on longtime UFC veteran Clay Guida.
Any time a former Olympian enters the UFC, it makes for an interesting spectacle, but how far can Madsen go in MMA? It’s definitely a fascinating question.
The Dane is slightly old as far as prospects go, as he’s already 36 years old. However, judging by his first two UFC bouts – wins over Danilo Belluardo and Austin Hubbard – it’s clear that he’s lost none of his athletic gifts just yet.
And with a heavy-handed style to compliment his explosive wrestling game, it’s hard not to compare him to another Olympic silver medallist who entered the UFC in his late 30’s – Yoel Romero.
Whether Madsen can replicate that kind of success – Romero famously fought for the UFC middleweight title on two occasions – is unknown, but against an opponent as gritty and experienced as Guida, we should get a good idea of how serious he is this weekend.
#1. The main event has an outside chance of producing a UFC middleweight title challenger
Naturally, the most intriguing fight at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event is the main event, which pits middleweight contender Jared Cannonier against former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum.
Based on the previous performances from both men, this should be an entertaining fight regardless of what happens. Both fighters are aggressive, look to strike first rather than grapple, and both men are highly durable too.
But what makes it most interesting is the fact that there’s an outside chance that the winner could be propelled into a shot at the UFC middleweight title in the near future.
Current champion Israel Adesanya is all set to defend his title against Robert Whittaker in the coming months, and Whittaker’s last two wins actually came against Cannonier and Gastelum. However, based on their first fight, it’s highly likely that it’ll be Adesanya who comes away with the win.
And given he’s already beaten the likes of Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori and Derek Brunson, there aren’t that many viable challengers for ‘The Last Stylebender’. That means that if Cannonier or Gastelum can pick up an explosive win this weekend, they could easily jump to the front of the queue.
So with the stakes that high, it’s clear that both fighters will be desperate for a win this weekend. And that means that this is practically an unmissable fight for UFC fans.
