UFC Fight Tonight: Is there a UFC card on Saturday, August 21, 2021?
The UFC will return this weekend with a stacked fight night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 21, 2021.
Also dubbed UFC on ESPN 29, UFC Vegas 34 will feature a middleweight bout between No.3-ranked Jared Cannonier and No.9-ranked Kelvin Gastelum in the main event.
The co-main event will see Clay Guida go up against Mark Madsen in a lightweight contest.
Other fights on the UFC Vegas 34 main card include a heavyweight clash between Parker Porter and Chase Sherman, a bantamweight battle between Trevin Jones and Saidyokub Kakhramonov, a lightweight contest between Vinc Pichel and Austin Hubbard, and a flyweight bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval.
UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Former middleweight contender Paulo Costa was originally scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on the August 21 card. However, 'Borrachinha' pulled out over a pay dispute with the UFC, and also claimed that UFC announced the fight to be official despite him not signing the contract.
Kelvin Gastelum stepped in to replace Paulo Costa in what could be his golden opportunity to redeem his UFC career.
Gastelum has lost four out of his last five fights. His sole win since losing to Israel Adesanya in 2019 came against Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 in February this year. His last outing was against Robert Whittaker in April, which he lost via a unanimous decision.
Jared Cannonier's last fight was also against Whittaker. Not only did he drop a unanimous decision but he also broke his arm, but still went all three rounds.
Speaking to Submission Radio in June, Cannonier weighed in on Paulo Costa's decision to step away from competition until he was getting fairly compensated. Cannonier was respectful towards the Brazilian's decision and called his move a "bold stance."
"It's a common argument right? MMA fighters, in general, don't get paid as much in comparison with what the organizations or promotions are getting paid. I understand the argument. I can't hate on him or knock him or chastise him for having his stance, you know. Coz it's a very bold stance to say I'm not gonna fight unless you guys pay me some more money. I won't turn down a fatter paycheck either. But it is what it is. It's his choice, you know. With that being said, he has to be able to deal with the consequences of that. He's fighting for something that I'd fight for, you know. He's fighting for me," Jared Cannonier said.
Catch Jared Cannonier's appearance on Submission Radio below: