A pivotal fight in the welterweight division will take place on Saturday night when Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night. The fight keeps the winner on the fringes of title contention while the loser will face a very long road back to discussions of a shot at the belt.
Both Cannonier and Gastelum are coming off losses in their most recent fights, both dropping decisions to Robert Whittaker. Cannonier's loss to Whittaker came in October 2020 in a fight that was pitched as a No. 1 contender fight to face middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The loss snapped an impressive three-fight winning streak in which all three wins came by TKO. The streak also started after Cannonier dropped to the middleweight division after stints at both heavyweight and light heavyweight.
Gastelum was arguably Adesanya's toughest opponent at middleweight, taking Adesanya to a five-round decision in a battle for the interim title in one of the best fights of 2019. Despite being competitive against the best middleweight on the planet, the loss sparked a downswing for Gastelum as he is now just 1-4 in his five most recent outings, including the decision loss to Whittaker in his most recent fight.
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Elsewhere on the card, veteran Clay Guida is once again set to make the sprint to the Octagon in the co-main event when he takes on Mark O. Madsen at lightweight. Guida, 39, is among the all-time leaders in appearances in UFC history, beginning his run with the promotion back in August 2006. He enters this bout off a decision win over Michael Johnson in February that ended a two-fight losing skid. Madsen, meanwhile, is a standout wrestler who enters with an undefeated record at 10-0, but who has not fought since March 2020.
Plus, Chase Sherman is back in a heavyweight contest against Parker Porter. Sherman is on his second stint with UFC after he was cut following a three-fight losing streak in 2017 and 2018. After picking up three TKO victories on the regional circuit, Sherman returned to the promotion in May 2020 with a TKO win over Ike Villanueva. He fell by decision to Andrei Arvloski in his most recent outing in April. Porter, meanwhile, is coming off a decision win against Josh Parisian in November.
Here's the fight card for UFC Fight Night with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Jared Cannonier -155 | Kelvin Gastelum +130 | Middleweight |
Mark O. Madsen -155 | Clay Guida +130 | Lightweight |
Chase Sherman -190 | Parker Porter +160 | Heavyweight |
| Vinc Pichel -115 | Austin Hubbard -105 | Lightweight |
| Alexandre Pantoja -175 | Brandon Royval +150 | Flyweight |
| Trevin Jones -150 | Saidyokub Kakhramonov +125 | Bantamweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Aug. 21 | Start time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV Channel: ESPN | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Prediction
Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum: Gastelum is clearly no longer the elite middleweight he once was, even if he could potentially battle back to a future title shot. That is, in many ways, a result of a lack of options for established title challengers as much as anything particular to Gastelum. Cannonier is a threat to stop any fighter in the division, carrying serious power in his punches and kicks. It's easy to see why Cannonier stands as a slight favorite at the betting window because of that power. However, Gastelum's recent fight with Ian Heinisch may serve as the blueprint for how Gastelum approaches this fight. Against Heinisch, Gastelum really embraced his wrestling and used that to control the fight. Forcing Cannonier to engage in grueling grappling exchanges may be the best way for Gastelum to wear him down and score the win. Pick: Kelvin Gastelum via UD
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