Robert Whittaker was in prime form in his UFC Fight Night main event, as he held off a spirited effort from Kelvin Gastelum to win a shutout five-round unanimous decision.
All three judges saw it 50-45 for the No.1-ranked Whittaker, now 24-5. The No.8-ranked Gastelum, who replaced Paulo Costa, fell to 17-7, 1 NC.
Gastelum was the aggressor as the fight began, but Whittaker countered his foe’s rushes effectively, and when the former champ led, he landed a right head kick in the second minute that wobbled the Arizonan. Later in the round, Whittaker surprised Gastelum with a takedown and kept the fight grounded until the closing moments of the frame.
Watch Whittaker vs Gastelum On UFC Fight Pass
Whittaker got another takedown in round two, and when he wasn’t on the mat, he was looking as sharp as he ever has on the feet. Gastelum took all the shots in stride and kept moving forward, but he was showing the wear on his face as Whittaker extended his lead.
Gastelum began to get closer with his shots in the third, briefly rattling Whittaker early in the frame, but the Aussie refused to slow down as he continued to tag the steel-chinned Gastelum, and this pattern continued throughout the fourth round.
Knowing that he was likely behind on the scorecards, Gastelum continued to take the fight to Whittaker in the fifth round, but a takedown by “The Reaper” with two minutes left sealed the deal, and while this version of Gastelum would give any middleweight fits, this version of Whittaker looked to have what it takes to regain the world title.
Official result – Robert Whittaker def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
