UFC has given some massive fights to the fans in 2021 so far. And the year just keeps getting better. Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker was scheduled to take on Paulo Costa on April 17th.
Unfortunately, Costa pulled out of the fight due to severe flu. Reports have stated that the flu is not COVID-19. But, it did leave the main event of the fight night on April 17th without the main event until now.
UFC has decided to go for the middleweight clash between Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker to main event the April 17th card.
Both Whittaker and Gastelum were scheduled to fight once in the main event of UFC 234. Whittaker was supposed to defend his title against Gastelum on his home turf, However, Whittaker had to pull out of the fight due to a serious health condition. Well, the unfinished business will now be settled.
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One interesting stats about this fight is that both the fighters have won The Ultimate Fighting Championship. While Whittaker won the TUF 17 season Gastelum came out victorious of TUF 22.
Does Kelvin Gastelum deserve a fight against Robert Whittaker?
The former number 1 title contender, Kelvin Gastelum is coming off a win over Ian Heinisch. However, he was on a losing streak before the win over Heinisch. Gastelum lost to Israel Adesanya, Darren Till, and Jack Hermansson before he bounced back from the losses at UFC 258.
Despite the losses, Gastelum is one of the exciting fighters in the division. His fights are entertaining to watch. And he is the only fighter in the division to put the champion, Israel Adesanya in trouble. Considering the fact that the rest of the top contenders in the division has already a fight scheduled for them, Gastelum was indeed a good option to replace Costa.
After a long time, Robert Whittaker has the momentum with him and he seems to have recovered from the series of injuries he has suffered in his career. Whittaker looked in his best form in his last two fights. Though Kelvin Gastelum is a tough opponent for anyone in the division Robert Whittaker will certainly be the favorite going into this fight.