So how do we explain Israel vs. Kelvin Gastelum?

[Megatronlee]

Tapology has this as the fourth greatest MMA fight of all-time.

https://www.tapology.com/rankings/all-time-greatest-fights-in-mma-and-ufc-history

Good fight, but fourth ever? rofl

Name 4 better

 

[Deleted member 585708]

Gastelum is talented, but a gatekeeper WW striker with no real credentials who was drastically outsized and he put it on Israel that night and gave him a pretty hellish beating but lost via decision.

Kelvin, unlike Pereira, has the ability to walk through offence and land his own.

He didn't win that fight, but he's a different kind of proposition.

His style means he doesn't have to be the best 'technical' striker, as he can negate his opponents advantages to some degree by just by tough as hell.

Some of the shots he's eaten in his career would have KO'd other fighters.

 

[Willy Knuckles]

Kelvin Gastelum was dropped 4 times in that fight lol amazing that people only want to praise him for that performance

 

[Deleted member 585708]

Kelvin Gastelum was dropped 4 times in that fight lol amazing that people only want to praise him for that performance

Any man who gets dropped 4 times and doesn't quit deserves praise.

Even Moutinho got (and deserved) praise for getting O'Malley'd for 2 and a half rounds.

 

[gimmick122]

Gastelum may've taken too much damage in that fight and hasn't been the same since.

 

[Shilajit]

Gastelum is talented, but a gatekeeper WW striker with no real credentials who was drastically outsized and he put it on Israel that night and gave him a pretty hellish beating but lost via decision.

Because this is MMA

And a large portion of Izzy's time was spent grappling and wrestling

Which also increases the effectiveness of striking.

 

[Hezekiah]

Kelvin has a short reach, but fast, accurate hands. Still, he was very close to getting stopped in the final round.

 

[mkt]

It's true that Kelvin is talented, but I never saw Silva get touched up like that against way better and bigger guys like Hendo or Vitor in his prime.

Nobody could compete with Anderson in the striking until he was 38.

100%

 

[Bearknuckle]

Fighting, like any sport is unpredictable and there are so many variables. Thats why they fight. Good teams can upset bad teams, great teams can have off nights, styles can make fights. Its kind of weird u guys expect everything to go exactly as planned. Maybe gastelum figured something out.

also, sure izzy got hurt in the fight. But he also beat the snot out of gastelum, dropping him like 4 or 5 times, i think twice in the 5th.

 

[Willy Knuckles]

Any man who gets dropped 4 times and doesn't quit deserves praise.

Even Moutinho got (and deserved) praise for getting O'Malley'd for 2 and a half rounds.

But he's gotten praised for the fight already, let's be realistic though, he got his ass handed to him. It's cool he's tough but that's literally all he has going for him imo. Idk what other impressive thing he's shown besides possibly hand speed

 

[alexrooster]

Gastelum is a champion level fighter on a good day. Super talented, super underrated and super inconsistent.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

That's Gastelum that got the worst beating among both and by far.

Yeah the last round might have been 10-8 from memory. Great fight, Gastelum is undersized at MW but has great hands, he just knows how to fight, that’s my epic analysis ha ha

 

[Natural Order]

It could arguably be first

Wow.

 

[SakurabasEar]

Unpredictability

 

[Dreyga Hates You Sherbums]

Gastelum is talented, but a gatekeeper WW striker with no real credentials who was drastically outsized and he put it on Israel that night and gave him a pretty hellish beating but lost via decision.

If I recall correctly…

One of Isreal’s good friends died in a motorcycle accident just before that fight. Izzy wasn’t completely dialed in until late into that fight

 

[Dandy Chiggins]

I think Kelvin is on his way to earning the rematch. Give him a few more and I would like to see it.

Hopefully not too long. He's 31 right now. He had success against Izzy because of his style, and he would trouble Izzy again if they fought tomorrow. Interesting he lost 4 more fights after losing to Izzy and Izzy wrecked all of those guys with ease.

 

[NoSmilez]

Kelvin had a few good moments but he was taking an asswhooping for the majority of the fight. Izzy also fought him with a reckless approach.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

Green Adysena vs Prime Kelvin.
Izzy has improved.
Kelvin has never looked the same since that fight.

Yea, he beat Curtis. Fine. But Chris Curtis is not top five and never will be.

 

[theleerygoose]

He used the Diaz strategy of relying on an iron chin and being a human punching bag.

 

[Jinx_AA]

Kelvins Mexican chin and a hell of a fighter

nothjng to explain

whis finished gastelum with strikes ? …no one ? Exactly !