UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum: Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum- UFC Vegas 24 Prediction and Analysis

UFC middleweights Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum will meet in the middle for the main event at UFC Vegas 24. The aforementioned 185-pound fighters were supposed to scrap in the past, however, a health scare pulled ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker from the fight.

Paulo Costa was Whittaker’s original opponent, but following his withdrawal, Gastelum jumped on the chance to face ‘Bobby Knuckles’. Whittaker and Gastelum will now meet at a critical junction in their career with a title shot looming.

The 185-pound division is undergoing a sort of unofficial tournament, with Whittaker vs Gastelum rounding things off. Derek Brunson, Kevin Holland, Marvin Vettori, and formerly Darren Till were all a part of this equation leading up to the aforementioned event. Robert Whittaker is ahead of the pack in quality wins, and he has the most to lose on Saturday night.

Also Read: ‘I Whooped His A**’- Paul Daley Reminds Jorge Masvidal Who the Real BMF Is

UFC Fight Night for Vegas 24: Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum

‘The Reaper’ is on a two-fight win streak since losing his undisputed title to Israel Adesanya in 2019. Whittaker rattled off statement victories over Darren Till and most recently Jared Cannonier to solidify his top spot. What’s more, some fans believe he’s already done enough to warrant a rematch against ‘The Last Stylebender’ despite his dominant loss.

Robert Whittaker is expertly skilled in using unorthodox advancing techniques to launch mostly wide-angled attacks. He’s got considerable power at middleweight, however, he won’t want to go toe-to-toe with Gastelum in that department. What’s more, their wrestling skills will probably neutralize each other, leaving a conventional vs southpaw battle for fans to enjoy.

Kelvin Gastelum was in dire straits not too long ago, however, he’s now on the cusp of making a huge comeback. Following three consecutive losses, Gastelum finally bounced back with a decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. He’s making a quick turnaround as the risk to reward ratio is high in facing Whittaker given his recent run.

Kelvin Gastelum has a power piston for a left hand that has proven itself to be a great equalizer for his lack of size. His pull-back counter straight is a maneuver that might bring him success against Robert Whittaker. However, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ elusiveness is something that Gastelum will probably struggle with when entering into range.

Prediction: Robert Whittaker to claim a unanimous decision victory.