Jared Cannonier gets himself one step closer to a middleweight title shot with win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 34

In a main event battle where both fighters had their moments, Jared Cannonier ultimately came away with a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Vegas 34.

Cannonier started things off with a good pace, first working his kicks and then landing several combinations. Gastelum, however, picked things up in the second round, backing up Cannonier with his own output.

Jared Cannonier continues winning ways at middleweight, defeating Kelvin Gastelum

Cannonier dropped Gastelum early in the third round and stuffed a couple of takedown attempts in those five minutes, working Gastelum’s body over well and holding off Gastelum’s speed and pressure attempts.

Cannonier seemed to slow down in the fourth round, as Gastelum had one-sided production. But during the round, Cannonier dropped Gastelum briefly again with an uppercut and started to land the more noticeable shots late.

Gastelum finally landed a takedown in round five and got busier at the fight came to a close, trying to find a finish. Cannonier, however, was still landing hard shots and survived Gastelum’s final-round onslaught.

Ultimately, all three judges gave the fight to Cannonier, 48-47.

UFC Vegas 34 takes place on Aug. 21, 2021, live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided for all your live news and highlights.