5 most explosive moments from UFC Vegas 24: Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum
Largely thanks to the ludicrous Jake Paul vs Ben Askren fight, UFC Vegas 24 was a show that was flying way under the radar in terms of fan interest. Unfortunately, UFC Vegas 24 was as lacking in explosive action as it was in fan interest.
Of the ten fights on the card, just two ended before the final buzzer, making the show drag somewhat. Nevertheless, there were at least a handful of memorable incidents.
Here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Vegas 24: Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum.
#1 Gravely opens the night with a bang
There were probably plenty of fans who missed the opening fight at UFC Vegas 24, a bantamweight tilt between Tony Gravely and Anthony Birchak. Unfortunately, if they did, they would’ve missed the night’s most explosive showing overall.
Gravely – who picked up his first UFC win last November with a decision over Geraldo de Freitas – simply destroyed his veteran opponent, finishing him in the second round.
The punch that ended things for Birchak was a thing of beauty - a genuine haymaker of a left hand that left the referee with no option but to halt proceedings. But even before that, Gravely had landed some huge blows, including a first-round knockdown and largely ragdolled his more experienced opponent too.
The win should almost certainly net Gravely an appearance on the main card in his next UFC outing. And more importantly, it was enough to earn him a $50k bonus cheque, something well-deserved for his explosive performance.
#2 Meerschaert ties a UFC record with a beautiful submission
It’s safe to say that Gerald Meerschaert didn’t have the best 2020.
Sure, ‘GM3’ opened his year with a submission of Deron Winn at UFC 248. But after that, he dropped a decision to Ian Heinisch before being knocked out in just 17 seconds by Khamzat Chimaev.
That loss was an embarrassing one. Most fans had expected him to at least test Chimaev, but instead, Meerschaert looked like a tomato can.
Meerschaert’s spot on the UFC roster was probably on the line last night after that. But thankfully for him, he pulled through with a wonderful submission, tying a UFC record in the process.
Wrestler Bartosz Fabinski attempted a takedown on him in the first round, but Meerschaert evidently saw it coming and locked up a tight guillotine choke. From there, he torqued and twisted at the neck until Fabinski passed out, causing Herb Dean to quickly stop the fight.
The win was the 24th submission victory in Meerschaert’s career and was also his sixth in the UFC’s middleweight division – tying the likes of Demian Maia and Rousimar Palhares’ UFC record and earning him a spot in the history books.
#3 Robert Whittaker’s striking earns him a third win in a row
Robert Whittaker might not have picked up a finish against Kelvin Gastelum, but he still impressed in last night’s main event.
The Australian’s striking was on point, and some of the more explosive shots he landed – including a vicious head kick in the first round and a nasty combination in the fourth – likely would’ve been enough to stop less tough opponents.
Whittaker’s rise up the ranks in the UFC middleweight division saw him stop the likes of Derek Brunson, Jacare Souza and Brad Tavares in brutal fashion. While his run since losing the UFC Middleweight title to Israel Adesanya hasn’t been quite as explosive, it’s been just as impressive. Gastelum was the third tough opponent in a row that ‘The Reaper’ outclassed.
On a night largely lacking in nasty finishes, Whittaker’s strong performance was one to savour.
#4 Espino’s knee to the groin causes sheer confusion
On a show so lacking in explosive finishes, it’s hard not to discuss one of the few fight-ending blows we did see. However, the end of the heavyweight bout between Juan Espino and Alexander Romanov probably didn’t go the way anyone might’ve planned it to.
A back-and-forth clash that looked like it could’ve gone either way ended violently in the third round when Espino landed a series of knees on Romanov, one of which caught ‘King Kong’ in the groin.
The Moldovan fighter collapsed to the ground in agony, and while the commentators talked up his exhaustion, it was clear to see he was in pain. Moments later, the fight was waved off.
The curious thing was how it was dealt with. Usually, an inadvertent low blow like this one would lead to a No Contest. However, with two rounds already gone, it was decided that the fight would be taken to a technical decision. And somehow, despite just a minute of the third round gone, Romanov was awarded the nod.
Overall, this was an explosive moment, but one that nobody really cared to see. However, the fight was perversely entertaining overall, meaning the UFC ought to book a rematch.
#5 Jeremy Stephens’ shove of doom
Okay, so admittedly, this one is a little tongue in cheek. However, it’s hard not to discuss UFC Vegas 24 without bringing up the cancelled co-main event. The lightweight fight between Drakkar Klose and Jeremy Stephens was scrapped in bizarre fashion, and for once, it wasn’t due to COVID-19.
The two men got heated at Friday’s weigh-ins, and Stephens ended up giving Klose a shove to the chest.
Somehow, though, this shove was the thing Klose decided to blame for a variety of issues that forced him out of the fight, including numbness in his hands, tightness in his neck and migraines. Reportedly, doctors then diagnosed him with a brain concussion as well as a cervical neck sprain.
So did Stephens shove Klose with the force of Godzilla? Well, the truth is probably he didn't.
It’s more likely that Klose either hurt himself during training or overdid things with his weight cut. Nevertheless, this was an unforgettable reason for cancelling a UFC fight, and thus it’s hard to ignore it here.