The Pro Take: Jared Cannonier Earns the Decision Victory at UFC Vegas 34

By
Justin Gibbons
-
Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, UFC Vegas 34
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 21: (L-R) Jared Cannonier punches Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

After a week off, the UFC returned to the APEX for UFC Vegas 34: Cannonier vs. Gastelum. The stakes were high for both men as they looked to set themselves far apart from any contender in the middleweight division, hoping to claim the next shot at current middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya.

After the setback of a broken arm that he sustained during his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier was hungry, looking to get back to his winning ways. Out of the three divisions he has competed in (heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight), middleweight is where he has come the closest to hoisting UFC gold. With a win over a former title challenger like Gastelum, Cannonier (the number three ranked fight in the division) would make it hard to deny a shot at a championship sometime in the near future.

Kelvin Gastelum may have slipped down the rankings landing in the ninth spot in the middleweight division, but getting the win Saturday could potentially place him in contention for a shot at Israel Adesanya. Where he could perhaps redeem the loss he took against the current middleweight king at UFC 236.

There was no room for error in the UFC Vegas 34 main event between Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum. The fight went the all five rounds in a back-and-forth affair, and ultimately the judges had a tough decision in determining the victor. In the end, Jared Cannonier was the one to capture the win in the eyes of the judges, in what was an entertaining main event.

PROS GIVE THEIR TAKE

Here is how the pros reacted to the middleweight main event between Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

 

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR