Jared Cannonier Rebounds, Turns Away Kelvin Gastelum in UFC on ESPN 29 Headliner

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Jared Cannonier at the very least kept his name in the conversation.

The MMA Lab standout maintained his position in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight pecking order with a unanimous decision over Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC on ESPN 29 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it the same: 48-47 for Cannonier (14-5, 7-5 UFC), who rebounded from his Oct. 24 loss to Robert Whittaker.

Both men fought well in spurts. A short-notice substitution for Paulo Costa, Gastelum (16-8, 11-8 UFC) kept a brisk pace and tried to push his opponent’s buttons with leg kicks, lunging left hands and sneaky one-twos. Cannonier was masterful from a defensive standpoint and for the most part managed to steer clear of danger. He floored Gastelum with a clean right hook in the third round but a finish failed to materialize, as “The Ultimate Fighter 17” called upon his considerable recuperative powers yet again. Cannonier shut down the Kings MMA rep’s bids for takedowns, landed effective combinations throughout the match and withstood a late surge from the Rafael Cordeiro protégé.

Gastelum has lost five of his last six bouts.

Unbeaten Madsen Edges Guida

Fight Ready’s Mark O. Madsen kept his perfect professional record intact, as he eked out a split decision over former Strikeforce champion Clay Guida in their three-round lightweight co-main event. Judges Michael Bell and Eric Colon scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Madsen, while Sal D’Amato struck a 29-28 scorecard for Guida.

A 2016 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Madsen (11-0, 3-0 UFC) controlled the center of the cage, fed “The Carpenter” a steady diet of stiff jabs and capitalized on his advantages in the clinch, where he attacked the body and legs with knees. Guida (36-21, 16-15 UFC) did his best work in the middle stanza, as he used feints and lateral movement to keep the Dane off-balance, fired off leg kicks and connected with power punches upstairs. Momentum did not follow him into Round 3. Madsen was the fresher fighter down the stretch, continued to pester the Team Alpha Male export with jabs and connected with far greater consequence when it mattered most.

Guida, who turns 40 in December, has lost three times in four outings.

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Relentless Porter Outduels Sherman

Parker Porter leaned on high-output offense and unshakable resolve, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Chase Sherman in a three-round heavyweight slugfest. All three judges sided with Porter (11-6, 2-1 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Sherman (15-8, 3-7 UFC) seemed to be out of sorts at times and on auto pilot at others. Nevertheless, he managed to put some damage on Porter’s lower lead leg with repeated kicks. It was not enough. Porter marched forward behind power punching combinations, pushed a cruel pace and eventually wore down “The Vanilla Gorilla.”

Porter, 36, has won four of his past five bouts.

Kakhramonov Guillotine Silences Jones

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Saidyokub Kakhramonov choked Trevin Jones unconscious with a guillotine in the third round of their bantamweight attraction. Jones (13-7, 1-1 UFC) collapsed in an unresponsive heap 4:39 into Round 3, as he lost for the first time since June 16, 2018.

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Kakhramonov (9-2, 1-0 UFC) was the superior fighter in the moments of consequence. Jones tried to drown him in a series of clinches and takedown attempts but had issues with the Team Oyama standout in open space. Kakhramonov buckled him with punches on multiple occasions in the second round, then made his move late in the third. There he slipped out of an extended clinch, caught the guillotine on the transition, pinned Jones to the fence and let his squeeze finish the job.

The 25-year-old Kakhramonov has rattled off three consecutive victories, all of them finishes.

Surging Pichel Sinks Hubbard

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 semifinalist Vinc Pichel outstruck and outhustled Austin Hubbard to a unanimous decision in a three-round lightweight feature. Now operating out of the Marc Montoya-led Factory X outfit, Pichel (14-2, 7-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks across the board.

Hubbard (13-6, 3-4 UFC) enjoyed some success with kicks to the body and legs, but his defensive shortcomings came home to roost. Pichel launched multi-punch salvos to the head, incorporated powerful leg kicks and stayed one step ahead of the Elevation Fight Team representative. The two men traded takedowns in back-and-forth third round. Pichel kept his nose in front with a late push, as he unleashed clubbing hooks from both hands and kept his counterpart at bay.

Pichel, 38, will ride a three-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

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Pantoja Choke Submits Royval

American Top Team’s Alexandre Pantoja submitted onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Brandon Royval with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight showcase. Royval (12-6, 2-2 UFC) conceded defeat 1:46 into Round 2, suffering his second setback in as many outings.

Pantoja (24-5, 8-3 UFC) executed a takedown inside the first 30 seconds, withstood subsequent attacks on his legs and managed to stick with his notoriously frenetic adversary through a series of hair-on-fire scrambles. They eventually returned to their feet and exchanged with reckless abandon, neither man gaining a discernible advantage. Pantoja dragged the Factory X representative to the floor in the middle stanza, secured his position with a body triangle and went to work on the choke. Royval struggled to free himself, only to sink deeper into the Brazilian’s clutches before he was forced to tap.

The 31-year-old Pantoja has won six of his last eight fights, including two straight.

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