The UFC interim middleweight title will probably be up for grabs later this spring, and I’ll offer my thoughts on the UFC’s latest name combat announcement in the present MMA odds and ends.
UFC 236 vs. Kelvin Gastelum, israel Adesanya Together with UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker injured, the UFC has decided to create an interim belt and it will be on the line in the main event at UFC 236, that is set for April 13 in a yet-to-be-determined location. In the blue corner will be Israel Adesanya, fresh off his win over Anderson Silva at UFC 234, while at the red corner will be Kelvin Gastelum, who had his struggle against Whittaker removed at the last minute the day of UFC 234.
The information of Adesanya vs. Gastelum was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. No place was declared, but rumors Twitter have the event pegged for Atlanta, Georgia, though that’s far from confirmed at this time.
Betting odds for the bout also were published here on MMAOddsBreaker.
Creating an interim title will probably be contentious for a few considering what occurred last season with Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson winning interim belts and then not getting shots in the undisputed titles, however it was a requirement due to Whittaker having not fought since last July against Yoel Romero. The UFC had to keep the middleweight division moving along in his absence, so as far as this author’s view is concerned, an interim title at 185lbs was certainly the correct choice by UFC president Dana White and co..
As far as the matchup goes, the Adesanya vs. Gasltelum fight on paper seems like it’s the potential to be a tremendous fight. Adesanya (16-0) is coming from a decision win over the legend Silva and general is 5-0 in the Octagon along with other noteworthy victories over Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson. At age 29, Adesanya is smack dab in his prime and reveals improvements virtually every moment we see him fight. Surethe Silva struggle was not his very best performance, but he got his hand raised, took no more harm in the process, and the win ended up earning him a title shot. Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is currently 10-3, 1 NC complete in the UFC and he has a 4-1, 1 NC record as a middleweight. Gastelum is coming from back-to-back wins over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo”Jacare” Souza and in age 27 he is right in his prime also. The two Adesanya and Gastelum are two of the top middleweights on Earth right now, and contemplating the striking acumen of both men, this has got the potential to be a firefight.
As far as the odds go, they have not been released yet, but I would expect the offshore sportsbooks to give something up for the fight shortly. If I had to guess, Adesanya will be the betting favorite, although Gastelum absolutely will be a live dog in this fight due to his knockout power. It will be interesting to see what other fights will be added to UFC 236 in the forthcoming weeks, however this interim title fight between Adesanya and Gastelum is a superb start to the card’s bookings.
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