Kelvin Gastelum will finally get his chance at the middleweight belt in April. With current middleweight champion Robert Whittaker still recovering from an abdominal hernia, the UFC has booked an interim title fight between Kelvin Gastelum, who
was supposed to fight Whittaker for the belt at UFC 234, and rising star Israel Adesanya. The two middleweight fighters will meet in the Octagon at UFC236 on April 13.
Whittaker was diagnosed with a collapsed bowel and internal hernia just hours before he was supposed to fight Gastelum for the middleweight belt at UFC 234 on February 9. Gastelum (15-3) offered Whittaker well-wishes and a speedy recovery the night of the surgery, but al expressed frustration that he wasn't able to compete for the belt.
Their main event fight was replaced with Israel Adesanya, a rising star in the UFC, and Anderson Silva, an MMA legend. The bout proved to be entertaining as it went all three rounds, but Adesanya emerged as the clear winner via a unanimous decision. With the win, Adesanya (16-0) improved to 5-0 in the UFC, with all five wins coming in the span of just 12 months.
With both Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya having proved themselves worthy of champion status, it makes sense that the UFC set this match up while Whittaker recovers. According to Whittaker's manager, he's hoping to return this summer.
UFC 236 is scheduled for April 13.