UFC Predictions: Chris Weidman vs. Kelvin Gastelum 7/22/17
Can a former UFC champion get back on track when Chris Weidman battles Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC on FOX tonight? Here’s our UFC Predictions for this middleweight clash.
ODDS
According to oddsmakers, Gastelum is the favorite in this fight, as he is getting odds of -160 to win. Weidman is listed with odds of +130 to win. This fight is the main event of UFC of FOX, which takes place tonight from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. The main card will air live on FOX starting at 8PM ET.
CHRIS WEIDMAN
Weidman (13-3) is the former UFC middleweight champion and the man that put an end to Anderson Silva’s time atop the 185-pound division. However, Weidman is on a three-fight losing streak, getting knocked out by Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi over the last two years. He likes to use his striking, mixed in with some solid grappling, but his ability to take a punch has been impacted by these recent losses.
KELVIN GASTELUM
Gastelum (13-2) has been on the rise somewhat in the division. He has attempted to fight at welterweight and struggled with the weight cut, but has done well at 185 pounds as well. He is coming off a first-round win over Vitor Belfort in March. The result was changed to a no contest after he failed the post-fight drug test for marijuana. Gastelum is a solid striker with constant movement. He also is bulky and has been difficult to get to the ground.
UFC PREDICTIONS
Weidman seemed unbeatable at one time in his career, but things change quickly in MMA and now he can’t seem to win. He is in a tough fight tonight because he is facing a younger striker that has better foot movement, in my opinion. Gastelum also hits quite hard and Weidman has struggled to take much punishment since that first KO loss. I think Gastelum will be patient in this fight and use his footwork to slowly pick apart the former champ before eventually getting a flurry to finish the job.
UFC Predictions – Kelvin Gastelum -160
