Kelvin Gastelum came seconds away from becoming the UFC interim middleweight champion when he and Israel Adesanya fought in one of the greatest fights ever.
This coming Saturday, Kelvin Gastelum returns to the UFC Octagon when he takes on middleweight prospect Joe Pyfer.
Gastelum caused some controversy last time out when he took on Daniel Rodriguez in Saudi Arabia as just a dew days before weigh-ins he claimed he wouldn’t make the weight, resulting in a last minute change.
UFC boss Dana White admitted he was extremely disappointed with Gastelum’s antics, leaving his future in the promotion in a precarious position.
Gastelum has been in the UFC now for over 12 years and has put on some incredible fights, with the most memorable being his interim title fight against Israel Adesanya back in 2019.
Gastelum left Adesanya looking unrecognizable during one of the greatest fights ever
After Robert Whittaker picked up an injury, leaving him out of action for an extended period, the UFC made an interim middleweight title fight between Gastelum and the soaring Adesanya at UFC 236.
Gastelum stood as ‘The Last Stylebender’s’ toughest test to date, and from the very beginning, he showcased that it wasn’t going to be an easy fight for the Nigerian.
In the first half of round one, the American dropped Adesanya, looking to spoil the party. Gastelum’s forward pressure continued in round two, but Adesanya worked his way back into the fight, scoring a knockdown of his own.
After a back-and-forth round three, Adesanya’s face began to look unrecognizable, filled with swelling. Then, in round four, after landing a hellacious head kick, Gastelum had the striking sensation hurt and on the back foot.
Adesanya was moments away from being finished as Gastelum continued to pour it on him but then bizarrely shot for a takedown with Adesanya’s back against the cage, making a terrible mistake.
After an incredible four rounds of action, ahead of the final round, Adesanya said, ‘I am prepared to die’, moments before Marc Goddard signalled the beginning of the round. He went on to knock Gastelum down four times in the final round, proving that his takedown attempt was a fight-costing mistake.
Kelvin Gastelum vs Israel Adesanya inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
The UFC 236 co-main event is widely regarded as one of the greatest fights ever, and Marc Goddard even admitted the fight made him ‘cry’ because of how incredible it was.
Fortunately and deservedly, the fight was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier this year, with the two being credited in the history books for putting their lives on the line that night.
Gastelum will be hopeful that he doesn’t get involved in a war like that again during the remainder of his UFC career, but he will need to withstand the terrifying KO power of Pyfer this weekend.