Gastelum starts by saying he's fighting back tears because of the run he's been on recently. He talks about how his wrestling and experience were crucial for this win. He then offers to step in if something happens to either Robert Whittaker or Paulo Costa before their upcoming bout.

Kelvin Gastelum defeats Ian Heinisch by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Heinisch is definitely losing this fight but honestly, he's fighting pretty well. He needs a stoppage though and that seems unlikely.

Gastelum comes out moving forward again and Heinisch lands a couple of good elbows as Gastelum is stepping in a little lazily. Still though, it's Gastelum. His head is made of bricks.  And now Heinisch shoots in but Gastelum gets the chain wrestling going and gets the body lock which he holds for a bit until Heinisch can break free.

At space and Heinisch lands a body kick. And another. Gastelum working in combination though and his left straight is landing frequently. Another flying knee from Heinisch that lands but again, Gastelum grabs him and gets the takedown.

Heinisch reverses though! He rolls through and takes the back of Gastelum and he's got hooks in! Heinisch has two minutes to get the finish here and Gastelum is tired but he's defending very well. Gastelum rolls and Heinisch takes mount but Gastelum rolls again and not he's on top. Good work from Gastelum there. 

Heinisch scrables and now they're back on the feet with a minute left. Body shot from Heinisch lands, Gastelum throws a left hand but Heinisch ducks under for a shot. Gastelum defends and they're back to striking. With 20 seconds left and Heinisch secures a beautiful double leg takedown but Gastelum rolls and his up now and gets his own double leg at the buzzer. Pretty good scrap overall.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Heinisch, 29-28 Gastelum overall.

Heinisch is still breathing heavily but doesn't look to be all that tired. Gastelum is very fresh to start the second though and he's marching forward. Heinisch lands a good right hand but is just clangs off Gastelum's head. Gastelum defends a takedown and he keeps working jabs.

Heinisch gets Gastelum backing up and Heinisch lands a flying knee! But Gastelum just grabs him off it and secures a takedown. Gastelum is heavy on top too, moving to side control and landing shots before Heinisch scrambles to his feet. Gastelum staying sticky against the fence though, not giving Heinisch any room to breathe.

Finally Heinisch breaks the grip and lands a combo but Gastelum is undeterred.  He comes forward with a combo and forces a clinch, driving Heinisch to the cage. Heinisch gets stuck for a moment but spirals out and now at space again. Every time Heinisch comes forward now, Gastelum is ducking under and securing the body lock. Heinisch is defending the takedowns well but the clinch is not winning him the rounds.

Heinisch separates and comes forward with a combo but he's also eating way more left hands from KG now. Gastelum is also popping an effective jab. Big body kick from Heinisch lands and both men are sucking wind now. Gastelum gets in on a body lock again but he's unable to get the takedown and the round ends in the clinch.

MMA Fighting score the round 10-9 Gastelum, 20-18 Gastelum overall.

Gastelum has bounce to start and Heinisch lands an inside low kick almost immediately. Now Heinisch shoots a double and he's got it! Gastelum is down early but scrambling and Heinisch can't hold on. Gastelum doesn't separate though and Heinisch sinks in a kimura from the bottom.  It's pretty deeply locked in but Gastelum is defending well.

After a number of seconds, Gastelum is able to get his hand out and land a couple shots but Heinisch rolls and now Gastelum has the back. Heinisch rolls and again locks in another kimura! This one is deeper but Gastelum is now in mount so the submission isn't as threatening. Heinisch gives up and now Gastelum is looking to rain shots from mount but Heinisch gets the hell out of there and they're back on the feet.

Back to striking and Kelvin is clearly the faster fighter but now it's him who forces the clinch. Heinisch is breathing a little heavy so it could be that Gastelum has noticed and is looking to wear him down. Gastelum secures a takedown but Heinisch is back up quickly. Gastelum still holding onto the back though before he finally releases. 

Gastelum coming forward and looking for punches with short time left but nothing lands for either man.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Gastelum.

Ian Heinisch walks out to "The Hurricane" by Bob Dylan which is the perfect walkout for him. So that was neat. 

Gastelum looking robust for this fight and seems very focused. I suppose he's taking that "fighting for his job" line seriously, which could be unfortunate for Heinisch.

Mark Smith is the third man in the cage for this middleweight contest and they're off!

Yet another middleweight contest this evening and this one is important. Kelvin Gastelum is a guy that everyone believes is great but his record recently has been anything but. If Gastelum loses a fourth fight in a row here, it could spell disaster. 

Conversely, this is a huge opportunity for Heinisch and would easily be the biggest win of his career. Two men with a lot on the line in this one.