#2 Kevin Gastelum proves a point
There was a prevalent rumour in internet circles that the UFC was feeding Kelvin Gastelum to Tim Kenndy as punishment for his unprofessionality in not making weight at UFC 205.
And in the nascent stages of Round 1 when a visibly larger Kennedy was holding on to him with a body lock from behind and repeatedly kneeing him in the ass, Joe Rogan even subtly suggested as much.
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If that was indeed the UFC’s grand design, then did it backfire spectacularly or what?
Once Gastelum exploded out of the body lock with the clock winding down in Round1, he never looked back. He proceeded to let his superiour boxing take over as he darted in and out of the pocket, picking apart Kennedy with accurate strikes.
Unable to retort in kind or take him down, Kennedy gassed out under the steady pace that Gastelum kept on him before sinking to his knees in Round 3, unable to take anymore of the punishment that was being dished out.
Having not fought in a while, Kennedy may have not been the sharpest tool in the yard, but you couldn’t take anything away from Gastelum’s performance even if you wanted to. He may be ghosted by his weight issues, but when he gets it together, Kelvin Gastelum is one of the brightest young prospects in the UFC today.