The drop to welterweight for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum proved to be very auspicious as he dropped Brian Melancon with punches in the first at UFC Fight Night 27, ultimately stopping him with a rear naked choke.
More Coverage: UFC Fight Night 27 Results | UFC news
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Gastelum opened the round closing the distance and pressuring Melancon, forcing him to back up and react to his offense. With his back close to the fence, Gastelum scored two jab-cross combinations that both landed and wobbled Melancon. Gastelum followed up with another jab-uppercut combination that also landed and sent Melancon crashing to the mat.
Rather than follow up with strikes, however, Gastelum jumped onto Melancon's back and locked in a rear naked choke while he was still hurt. That quickly forced the tap from Melancon. The end came officially at 2:26 of round 1.
Gastelum stays undefeated at 7-0 while Melancon drops to 7-3.