5 Best Non-Title MMA Fights In November

3. UFC 180: Jake Ellenberger vs. Kelvin Gastelum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0CW0mKudk0 After looking to be such a promising contender from 2011-2013, Jake Ellenberger€™s stock has dropped considerably. You can€™t be too harsh while looking at his recent track record. There is no shame in losing to the current number one contender in Robbie Lawler and the next title contender in Rory MacDonald. Those are two elite fighters that pose significant problems to current champion Johny Hendricks. That doesn€™t take away the pressure that Ellenberger has to be feeling right now. The UFC signed him to an eight-fight contract before his fight with Lawler. They clearly invested in him to be a perennial top-ten welterweight. His blistering knockouts of Jake Shields and Nate Marquardt made him into a crowd-pleasing fighter. Now he€™s looking to be more technical in training under Edmond Tarverdyan. It has led to him to relying more on timing and being less aggressive. That hasn€™t translated well in landing successful combinations or adding more kicks to his arsenal. He seemed too predictable against Lawler and left many of us pondering, if he can still be a contender. Now he faces rising star Kelvin Gastelum, who has looked relatively good so far in his UFC career. We haven€™t seen many highlight reel finishes or jaw-dropping striking from him. He€™s stuck to his roots from wrestling and knowing how to wear his opponents down. Ellenberger is an outstanding wrestler, so it does seem like a prime matchup for him to bounce back from. Gastelum hasn€™t fought anyone close to his caliber. It still remains to be a fascinating matchup, as many people including myself have high hopes for Ellenberger. Now the tide is slowly turning towards Gastelum, who is one of the few recent €œUltimate Fighter€ winners to be successful in winning four consecutive UFC fights.