It now makes it two weeks in a row that we have a fight night put in the foreground by middleweight contestants, and yet it somehow does not feel like one of the four contestants can secure a title shot. no matter what happens.
Marvin Vettori wrestled a decisive victory over Kevin Holland last week, and Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum will get their case this morning to challenge champion Israel Adesanya as they face off in the UFC Vegas 24 main event. In the wings awaits an injured Darren Till, who could be the favorite as Vettori, Whittaker and Gastelum have already fought Adesanya. On top of that, Adesanya mentions Till in the past as a preferred challenger.
Whittaker recently scored a win over Till, and if he can put Gastelum away in an impressive way, that should be enough to put him in a pole position, but there is nothing the matchmakers think. And if Gastelum can upset Whittaker, will he earn a second chance at the championship or find himself entangled in the rankings with his friend and training partner Vettori? One has the feeling that we will have to wait a while to get an answer, even after this four-man field has dissolved itself.
In another head-to-head action, Jeremy Stephens returns to the lightweight division for the first time in more than eight years when he takes on Drakkar Klose in the co-main event. Former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski stepped in as a short substitute to fight Chase. Sherman, middleweights, Abdul Razak Alhassan and Jacob Malkoun, want to bounce back due to quick knockout blows, and Luis Pena meets Alex Munoz in a lightweight fight.
What: UFC Vegas 24
Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, April 17th. The entire event will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN +, starting with a six-fight preliminary card at 19:00 ET, followed by the five-fight main card at 22:00 ET.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Kelvin Gastelum is a headache for £ 18 and on his best day I can see him beating almost everyone in the division. He has brought Israel Adesanya to the extreme, and it would be foolish to assume that he can not do the same with Robert Whittaker. But until proven otherwise, “The Reaper” is the second best middleweight in the world.
For Gastelum to take the crown, his strike must be sharper than ever before. He’s an excellent boxer with a lot of hand speed and cardio for days, but I’ll always advocate the versatility of Whittaker. The former champion has the gift of being able to inflict damage from various unorthodox angles, and when he cooks, few people can compare him. I give a fair margin the advantage for Whittaker.
As far as wrestling is concerned, Gastelum could not really make a name for himself as a middleweight in this division. He regularly gives up the size of his opponents, though not so much of Whittaker, another converted welterweight. Whittaker has improved as a wrestler every year, so we’ll see how much his defense is tested on Saturday.
I predict this one will mostly stay on its feet, which is a scenario in which Whittaker’s decision goes nine times out of 10..
Choose: Whittaker
Jeremy Stephens vs. Drakkar Klose
It’s a smart match for Jeremy Stephens’ return to the lightweight division. Drakkar Klose is not a massive 155er, so while he will have a struggling advantage, it will not be as pronounced as when Stephens would get a bigger opponent in this weight class.
This gives Stephens a good chance to keep this standing, where he has excelled for years. No, the dice did not go Stephen’s path in his recent outings and he has technical limitations exploited by a new generation of fighters. He is what he is at this point. But what he is is someone who hits very hard.
Klose’s team will be exploring it, so it’s just a matter of the coming night. Head movement, leg kicks, rivet work, these are the keys to not adding Klose to Stephens’ highlight role. Aside from his recent loss to Beneil Dariush, he has shown a strong chin that he will have to resist as Stephens’ first ointment.
How much does Stephens have left in the tank and how long will it take for a bomb to land on Klose? Will the slump he faces push him to a vintage performance, or will he struggle to get to the gate? I think he still has good performances ahead of him, but I see Klose as the better fighter this weekend and let him win a decision.
Choose: Klose
Andrei Arlovski teen Chase Sherman
Chase Sherman is by no means a world beater, but he is a confident attacker and he will respect Andrei Arlovski without being respectful. Many fighters made the mistake of letting Arlovski dictate the pace, despite the fact that it has been almost six years since his last knockout. This is not a typo.
It’s true that Arlovski does not need Sherman to win here. He recently won over Tanner Boser, Philipe Lins and Ben Rothwell, all fighters I would probably prefer over Sherman. But there’s something about Sherman’s aggressive style that I like. He is a risk taker and I believe that if he makes some big fluctuations against Arlovski, it will pay off.
Arlovski is in great shape at the age of 42, so he will not be overwhelmed by Sherman in the athletics division. I just wonder how much his ability to pull the trigger decreases with each outing. Sherman should invite Arlovski to fight with him and chase a finish, because if he does, he will find it in the first or second round.
Choose: Sherman
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun
I’m not sure who crossed Jacob Malkoun to keep up with some powerful and explosive attackers in his first two UFC fights, but here we are. Malkoun lasted just 18 seconds against Phil Hawes in his UFC debut six months ago, and now he has to navigate the fist rage of Abdul Razak Alhassan.
From what we know of Malkoun, he is involved in all kinds of martial arts, from wrestling to boxing to MMA. We could not see any of that in his UFC debut because he was just completely blown away by Hawes. Maybe he can merge his skills to neutralize Alhassan, or even surprise everyone with a quick finish of his own, as Alhassan comes off a 30-second KO loss.
Even when I consider the possibility that Malkoun may be a diamond in the rough, I still struggle to understand why he is placed in the sights of another knockout artist after the previous time.
Alhassan by knocking out in the first round. Let’s move on.
Choose: Alhassan
Luis Pena vs. Alex Munoz
Alex Munoz is a classic jack of all trades, master of none. He boxed and wrestled in a respected but unspectacular UFC debut loss against Nasrat Haqparast. It has the potential to be a trap for Pena, who theoretically gets a tune-up fight after losing the first time in his career last June.
The tall and tall Pena will have to be careful not to give Munoz his neck, but otherwise he should not hesitate to wrestle with his shorter opponent. If that’s something, it’s important for Pena not to sit back and wait for Munoz to come to him, as he’s still making the most of his physical gifts. A well-rounded opponent like Munoz can expose Pena if he is not careful.
A ten-month break is perhaps just what the doctor ordered for Pena, and I expect him to be rejuvenated in his first battle of 2021. which only distracted him from improvement in areas where it was most important. Now that he’s returning £ 155, it’s wine time.
I choose Pena to make a statement here, and finish Munoz by submitting in the first round after I hurt him on the feet.
Choose: Pen
Preliminary round
Tracy Cortez defeats Justine Kish
Alexander Romanov defeats Juan Espino
Defeat Lupita Godinez. Jessica Penne
Defeat Gerald Meerschaert. Bartosz Fabinski
Defeat Austin Hubbard. Dakota Bush
Tony Gravely defends Anthony Birchak