UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has never had an easy road in the Octagon. Saturday night in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, that road just got tougher, as Israel Adesanya won a five-round war over Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision to win the interim 185-pound belt and set up a showdown with Australia’s “Reaper.”
“I was ready for war,” said Adesanya, who got one out of Gastelum, who brought Adesanya to places he had yet to see in his mixed martial arts career. But “The Last Stylebender” answered any doubts with his performance. “I was willing to leave it all and give it all.”
All three judges saw it 48-46 for Adesanya, now 17-0. Gastelum falls to 16-4 with 1 NC.
Gastelum pressed Adesanya to start the bout, but “The Last Stylebender” scored first with a hard kick to the midsection. With a little under three minutes to go, Gastelum knocked Adesanya into the fence with a right punch to the head, and while the Nigeria native recovered well, it was a key moment early in the bout, and Gastelum continued to keep the shots coming as Adesanya’s offensive output dipped.
Adesanya came out throwing kicks to the body in round two, but Gastelum was undeterred as he shot his 1-2s upstairs. With just over two minutes left, though, a right hand stunned Gastelum and put him on the deck. Gastelum rose quickly, but Adesanya had earned his respect and the New Zealander began upping his work rate. A spinning elbow stunned Gastelum, who knew no direction but forward, and he landed a left hand before seeing a takedown attempt thrown aside.
With two rounds in the books, the fighters had gotten acclimated to each other, resulting in some entertaining striking exchanged early in round three. But if there was an edge to be had, it belonged to Adesanya. Just before the final minute, Gastelum scored a takedown, but Adesanya bounced right up, and as the round ended, he appeared to be the fresher of the two.
Gastelum took the fight to Adesanya to kick off the championship rounds, and that aggression worked well for him for a spell before the pace settled into one more to Adesanya’s liking. As the round progressed, Gastelum kept throwing, and while Adesanya’s defense was solid, he did ultimately emerge with a cut, prompting him to go after Gastelum with more bad intentions. With a minute left, Gastelum stunned Adesanya with a left kick to the head, causing the crowd to erupt.
In addition to the cut, Adesanya’s face was swelling, and momentum was on Gastelum’s side heading into the fifth and final round. Gastelum marched forward and Adesanya fired back, ultimately stunning his foe with a right hand. As Gastelum looked for a takedown, Adesanya tried to lock up a guillotine choke and then a triangle as the two scrambled on the mat. After getting back to their feet, Adesanya drilled Gastelum with a right hand, forcing the Arizonan to lock up his opponent. Adesanya pushed him off, though, and went back to work, determined to finish strong. With a little over a minute left, Gastelum was dropped briefly, and when he got up, Adesanya sent him back to the mat with a right hand. Now bloodied, Gastelum refused to give in, but Adesanya sent him down one more time before the final horn sounded, cementing his victory in a title fight that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
(From April 13)
