Ultimate Fighting Championship declared today that UFC 236 on April 13th will feature an interim middleweight title fight between top 185 pound contenders Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya.
Gastelum (15-3, 1 no competition ) most recently had his struggle against middleweight champion Robert Whittaker cancelled in the last minute because of a hernia from Whittaker that necessitated surgery. Whittaker is currently recovering from the injury and will return in the next half of 2019. Prior to his struggle cancellation, Gastelum made a split decision over fellow top rival Jacare Souza and knocked out former winner Michael Bisping.
Adesanya (16-0) has transitioned from elite kickboxer to among the best strikers in mixed martial arts. “The previous Stylebender” has gone 5-0 in the UFC including recent victories over contenders Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson in addition to former winner Anderson Silva less than two weeks ago in the substitute main event for UFC 234.
Here’s what MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas had to say about the bout:
“Stylistically, if Adesanya can keep this battle standing, he definitely has an edge with his elite kickboxing background and striking skill-set. Gastelum has electricity on the toes and poses issues like a southpaw, but he is almost certainly must take this fight to the floor to win it. It’s easy to assume this is an excellent stylistic matchup for Adesanya, but maybe we are underestimating Gastelum here. Gastelum has faced a number of the greatest fighters on the planet in middleweight as a undersized 185-pounder and has performed well. That being said, Adesanya is on a mad rise now has an enormous quantity of support in the betting public so I will open him as a -185 betting favorite with the comeback on Gastelum being +155.”
Kalikas opened the betting lines for Gastelum vs Adesanya via Bet DSI
——————————————————
UFC 236: Gastelum vs Adesanya
April 13, 2019
Location: TBA
Main Event — Interim Middleweight Title
Kelvin Gastelum +155
Israel Adesanya -185
Read more: footballleagueworld.com
Loading ...