UFC 287 Prelims: Kelvin Gastelum Outduels Chris Curtis in Middleweight Slugfest

Kelvin Gastelum needed a win in the worst way possible, and Chris Curtis made him go through heavy fire to earn it.

“The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner went toe-to-toe with Curtis for three entertaining rounds, earning a unanimous decision triumph in the featured UFC 287 prelim at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday night. Gastelum, who had lost five of his previous six promotional appearances, received scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 from the cageside judges.

Related » UFC 287 Round-by-Round Scoring

Both middleweights traded willingly for the duration of the contest. Gastelum (18-8, 12-8 UFC) enjoyed success landing quick punching combinations to the head — opening a cut over Curtis’ eye in the process — and low kicks. Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC), meanwhile, stood in the pocket and fired back, doing some of his best work digging to the body of his opponent. Curtis also had to weather an accidental clash of heads in Round 2, which led to Gastelum swarming with ground-and-pound in hopes of a finish. Curtis kept his head and did his best work of the fight in Round 3, as he upped his volume with punching combinations while adding the occasional elbow and knee to the body in close quarters. It wasn’t enough to overcome the lead Gastelum had already built on the scorecards, however.

Pinheiro Edges Waterson-Gomez

Nova Unia export Luana Pinheiro secured her most significant triumph to date with a split-decision victory over former Invicta FC atomweight title holder Michelle Waterson-Gomez in a strawweight showdown. Chris Lee and Eliseo Rodriguez scored the contest 29-28 for the Brazilian, while Eric Colon had it 29-28 in favor of “The Karate Hottie.” Waterson-Gomez (18-11, 6-7 UFC) has lost five of her last six UFC appearances.

Pinheiro (11-1, 3-0 UFC) attacked with a steady diet of low kicks and powerful right hands, rocking Waterson-Gomez with one right during an exchange in the second stanza. Waterson-Gomez kept things interesting throughout with a varied striking attack, including a spinning back elbow to the chin and a front kick that sat Pinheiro down during an impressive opening stanza. Still, Pinheiro’s ability to land with superior power during exchanges likely made the difference on the scorecards.

Pyfer Rocks Meerschaert

It’s still good to be Joseph Pyfer.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum secured his fourth straight KO/TKO triumph, as he finished Kill Cliff FC product Gerald Meerschaert with punches in a middleweight pairing. Pyfer dropped his foe with a left hook-right hand combination and