The Unlikely Rise of Kelvin Gastelum

The Ultimate Fighter has been the same since day one and for most in the MMA sphere it has overstayed its welcome. Tying up titles and top ten fighters, and slowing down divisions, the reality television show was still pivotal in getting the UFC over—with barnburner between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin now given pride of place in the UFC's mythos. But the line between sport and reality show is now very well defined in the minds of fans, meaning that covering season thirty-whatever is not a big deal for most MMA journalists. If you do find yourself sitting down to watch the odd episode of TUF, however, the gratification is not immediate. The real pay-off is way down the line when you see what some of these very average fighters can become when they are afforded the opportunity to train full time and treat fighting as their profession.

Kelvin Gastelum was solidly unremarkable. Getting a shot on the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Sonnen vs Team Jones, Gastelum defeated Kito Andrews by decision to get into the house but his performance was average enough to be abridged so that episode could accommodate all the knockouts and submissions in the thirteen other qualifying bouts. Throughout the course of the show Gastelum kept winning, but it was his hustle and heart that were getting him by. The fights that he took part in would not have looked out of place on a Bellator preliminary card.

Gastelum's fight with Bubba McDaniel consisted of the two men giving up back mount half a dozen times each and Gastelum being reversed with sloppy half-butterfly sweeps before finally securing a rear naked choke. When Gastelum clumsily traded blows with Colin Hart to secure a knockout in thirty seconds, it was easy to see why viewers would be more drawn to the pinpoint precision of the series standout, Uriah Hall. When the live finale was booked between Gastelum and Hall it seemed like a foregone conclusion to many, before Gastelum—seemingly undersized at middleweight—went forward and out-hustled Hall to a split decision victory just the same.

After packing in his full time gig as a bail bondsman, Gastelum began one of the most unlikely transformations in mixed martial arts as he progressed from a doughy, undersized wrestler into a man with among the most dangerous hands at whichever weight he opts to fight. It was apparent to anyone who saw Gastelum throwing awkward hands with Hart that he had a chin on him, but rather than feel comfortable in that knowledge, Gastelum has gone out of his way to study the sweet science and to perfect his feints, slips and counters.

One of the most obvious improvements in Kelvin Gastelum over recent years has been his footwork. Through The Ultimate Fighter he was often simply running in to initiate another grappling exchange before his opponent (who almost always had height and / or reach on him) could hit him. Now, Gastelum is light on his feet, feinting retreats and coming in to uncork his hands. Or using his bounces to feint and dull his opponents' senses before stepping in for real. Here is a beautiful instance of Gastelum feinting an attack several times against Johny Hendricks before cutting a slight angle and uncorking his signature jab to left hand.

Variety is not Gastlelum's strong suit but he has shown consistently the power and versatility of the simple one-two. The oldest combination in the book and, if the opponent doesn't mind his 'Ps and Qs', the only one you need. Let's not forget that Max Holloway dropped the great Jose Aldo with a simple double one-two when Aldo stood still and slipped. A southpaw, Gastelum can thread the left straight down the centre of most opponents' guards. Against other southpaws, like Johny Hendricks, Gastelum simply shoots straight and arcs the left high around the guard alternately. Occasionally switching the jab for a slapping lead hook, the variation on the simple two-parter is enough to cause havoc with an opponent's attempts to simply cover up. Poor old Johny Hendricks was force fed the left all night long.

One of Gastelum's other great skills is that he never crowds his own punches when he has the opponent reeling. His one-two is what works, so he stays on the end of his reach and tries to connect it over and over. If the opponent ducks in towards him, sure he'll give them an uppercut, but you won't see Gastelum accidentally falling into a tie up that often.

Gastelum had been guilty of trying to pull away from his opponent's punches when caught in exchanges. This habit was particularly noticeable in his recent fight against Tyron Woodley. Gastelum was already improving his defences at that point, but he seemed somewhat spooked by Woodley's wickedly fast and obviously dangerous right hand. Generally, however, Gastelum has shown good awareness in the pocket and often gets down behind his lead shoulder and elbow once he has uncorked his left hand.

Gastelum's greatest asset remains his pace and his desire to keep the opponent working. Where that was a solid attribute to have as a fairly one note wrestler, it has turned him into a killer on the feet even with a limited toolbox. It is also the reason that Gastelum, a chunky welterweight, can go up to middleweight and wilt men who probably have fifteen to twenty pounds on him on fight night. Nowhere was this more obvious than against Tim Kennedy. Kennedy ragdolled Gastelum for much of the first round, but whenever Gastelum was free for a moment he immediately pushed the pace on Kennedy. Kennedy was forced to kick and run to keep Gastelum from simply stepping in and dropping hands on him. Where many would have fought more cautiously after breaking free from a half round on being dominated on the mat, Gastelum refused to give Kennedy space to recover from all the hard work he had just done on the mat. It was here that those feints came in handy as well, Gastelum threw about a third of the strikes that he showed but Kennedy was forced to move, flinch, lash out and run while Gastelum simply walked him down.

You can see this just as readily when Gastelum is hit. If he feels he has lost an exchange he immediately creates another one. If you are fighting Kelvin Gastelum you never get a chance to sit back and admire the work you just did.

If he finds himself at a disadvantage as the opponent steps to engage, he will fall into the clinch, before turning his opponent around and immediately getting to work with a combination of his own. While at a much, much lower level this is essentially Floyd Mayweather's philosophy of only engaging on his own terms and seeking the clinch on any other occasion.

He is far from a complete product and there is a ton of stuff that it would be good to see from Kelvin Gastelum in the future. His kicking game is often loose and slappy, but if he could slot stiffer body kicks through the holes his fast jab creates he could probably secure even more finishes.

Gastelum's feet are also almost always on a line, making him susceptible to the outside low kick and his right hook is a long, loopy affair that can often get him caught along the inside by left straights. But that is all for the future and if Gastelum's development over the last three years is any indicator, there's a good chance he will only get better. Kelvin Gastelum stands as a stark reminder that for every "I do let you bang" and sloppy exhibition match that The Ultimate Fighter produces, it still gives a chance to men who aren't stand out talents, but who will snatch the chance with both hands and make themselves into some of the best fighters in the world. Kelvin Gastelum fights Chris Weidman this weekend, get back to Fightland in the coming days to read The Tactical Guide to Weidman vs Gastelum.

Pick up Jack Slack's hit dissection of the Conor McGregor phenomenon, Notorious from Amazon.