Kelvin Gastelum stepped up to fight former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on short notice after ‘The Reaper’ lost his original opponent, Paulo Costa. The UFC had previously booked Whittaker and Gastelum to fight at UFC 234 as the Aussie looked to defend his belt. Unfortunately, for fans, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ had to pull out last minute as he suffered major health issues.

Nevertheless, they are fighting two years later and the winner may earn his rematch against current champion, Israel Adesanya. Another middleweight contender looking to get a shot at the gold, Marvin Vettori was present cage side to keep a close eye on proceedings.

Whittaker got off to an impressive start in the first round as he hurt Gastelum with combinations. Also, his kicks were on point. Whittaker landed a well-timed takedown and eventually keep Gastelum down for a good amount of time. Hence, it was a great start for the former champion.

‘The Reaper’ kept pummeling on Gastelum in the second round too. The third round was closer as Gastelum found a home for some of his shots, but Whittaker claimed the round with a superior display.

After a disappointing fourth round, Gastelum came out with all guns blazing in the fifth. However, he slowed down eventually, whereas his foe still looked fresh. The Australian established his superiority over five rounds and took home a unanimous decision of 50-45.

Twitter reacts as Robert Whittaker wins all 5 rounds vs Kelvin Gastelum

Joe Solecki was excited to see the UFC fight start instead of the whole Triller fight card saga.

Brett Okamoto saw the first two rounds go in favor of Whittaker. Both men were exchanging hard shots.

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Tatiana Suarez was in awe of Whittaker’s slick movement and counter-striking.

Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was in awe of Gastelum’s heart and grit. Despite the damage Whittaker inflicted, Gastelum kept on coming. Hence, ‘Funkmaster‘ anticipated a classic.

John Dodson also praised both fighters for putting up an absolute show for the fans.

UFC flyweight Diana Belbita was not happy to see all the hype behind Jake Paul and Ben Askren with two top-notch fighters like Whittaker and Gastelum throwing it down at the same time.

BMF champion, and next welterweight title challenger, Jorge Masvidal, was all praise for Whittaker and expressed his inner fan.

Ariel Helwani also reacted to Whittaker’s win. He believes ‘The Reaper’ is the no.1 contender and should challenge for the belt next.

Chase Hooper was also in anticipation of a rematch between Whittaker and Adesanya.

Israel Adesanya sarcastically reacted to Whittaker’s win.

Former champion Chris Weidman was all praise for Whittaker.

What did you make of Whittaker’s performance? Who’s next for ‘The Reaper‘? Let us know.