Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez meet Saturday on the principle card of UFC on ABC 6 from Kingdom Area in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Take a look at this fast breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC on ABC 6 preview
Initially booked as a welterweight battle, Gastelum vs. Rodriguez was moved to middleweight when Gastelum admitted to a troublesome weight reduce throughout battle week and Rodriguez agreed to maneuver up. … Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 12-9 UFC) is in want of a spark after shedding by third-round submission to Sean Brady final December, which marked his sixth loss in his previous eight bouts relationship again to 2019. … Rodriguez (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) additionally wants a victory to keep away from a dreaded three-fight shedding skid. He’s coming off back-to-back losses to Neil Magny in 2022 and Ian Machado Garry in Could 2023.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC on ABC 6 knowledgeable decide, prediction
Serving because the lone southpaw vs. southpaw battle on the cardboard is a possible conflict between Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez.
#UFCSaudiArabia’s lone southpaw v. southpaw matchup is between Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez.
Gastelum is formally 3-1-1 in opposition to UFC-level SPs (W: Story, Hendricks, Curtis; L: Until; NC: Belfort), however that might simply learn in another way given his splits w/Curtis and Story pic.twitter.com/JexH3hiPeP
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) June 21, 2024
This battle was initially slated to happen at welterweight, however with Gastelum citing troubles along with his weight reduce, the bout has formally been moved to 185 kilos.
Regardless of this considerably favoring Gastelum on paper, I’m unsure I like this matchup for the previous middleweight from a stylistic perspective.
Gastelum’s jab-cross continuums translate nicely to closed-stance matchups, which helps feed/gasoline his leg kicks (that come at a a lot greater clip in opposition to SPs). Nonetheless, the stance pairing supplies a potent 2-way avenue that sees Gastelum getting taxed by kicks/counters #UFCSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/cbSwHcA4GI
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) June 21, 2024
Not solely might Gastelum simply be 1-3-1 in opposition to UFC-level lefties if shut calls reverse Rick Story and Chris Curtis go in opposition to him, however “The Final Fighter” winner tends to considerably comply with his opposition in predictable patterns.
Ought to Gastelum get too complacent this weekend, then he may very well be in for a impolite awakening within the type of Rodriguez counter punches.
Rodriguez, who can also be an lively southpaw jabber, does nicely at circling off his jab and drawing opposition into his energy through his patent clubbing cross. Rodriguez additionally has underrated leg kicks that come out extra in opposition to fellows southpaws. #UFCSaudiArabia #TheSouthpawReport pic.twitter.com/LgPDQMcmsY
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) June 21, 2024
I think this can play out shut and competitively irrespective of which means it swings, so I’ll take a flier on the underdog Rodriguez to attain a shocking club-and-sub in Spherical 2.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC on ABC 6 odds
The oddsmakers and the general public are favoring the previous interim middleweight title challenger, itemizing Gastelum (-230) and Rodriguez (+184) through FanDuel.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC on ABC 6 begin time, the right way to watch
Because the featured bout on the principle card, Gastelum and Rodriguez are anticipated to make their walks to the octagon at roughly 4:15 p.m. ET. The battle broadcasts reside on ABC and streams on ESPN+.
For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC on ABC 6.
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