TUF 17 Finale kicked off tonight, featuring a middleweight finalist bout between Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastelum. Both of these fighters were vying for a contract with the UFC and also a Harley Davidson motorcycle. This bout was a back and forth affair, but Gastelum ultimately won via split decision.
In the first round, Hall seemed very tentative, allowing Gastelum to get take downs and force Hall to work from the bottom. In the second round, Hall would land some impressive take downs of his own, and would start to find his range via his jab. The third round was razor close, but Gastelum was able to control more of the ground, giving him a split decision.
With the win, Gastelum become TUF 17 season winner, gets a UFC contract, and even gets his own Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was a great fight for Gastelum, nullifying the dynamic striking and power of Hall. Before the season even started, Gastelum was an underdog, but he proved tonight that you can’t count any fighter out.
For Hall, he will have to go back to the drawing board. It wasn’t the performance he was looking for after the high remarks he received on the show. Chael Sonnen would even tell Hall he has what it takes to beat the champion in the division, Anderson Silva, on the show, but it looks like this isn’t the case. Working on his wrestling and aggressiveness will certainly bode well for him going forward in his fighting career.
