Gastelum spoils Kennedy's return with 3rd-round TKO

Kelvin Gastelum looked like a man reborn on Saturday.

The 25-year-old staged a boxing clinic en route to a third-round TKO of Tim Kennedy in their middleweight bout at UFC 206 in Toronto. After the Ontario Athletic Commission lifted his six-month suspension for failing to weigh in at UFC 205 in November, the former welterweight made the most of his second chance, uncorking a litany of combinations through two-plus rounds to win his first fight at middleweight in 18 months.

After missing weight for the third time just a month ago, president Dana White had promised Gastelum would never fight at 170 pounds again, but that didn't deter the youngster from voicing his desire to return to welterweight after he'd spoiled Kennedy's return from a two-plus-year layoff.

Kennedy promptly attempted to implement his clinch-heavy game plan in the bout's early goings, hoping to wear Gastelum down against the cage. The "TUF" winner would not be subdued, though, tuning Kennedy up with fluid footwork and crisp boxing after freeing himself from the vet's clutches.

The 37-year-old's age and lengthy layoff became more evident as the fight wore on, as Gastelum, 12 years his junior, eluded his clinch attempts and teed off on him from the pocket with steadily growing ease. The 25-year-old exploited Kennedy's fatigue in Round 3, immediately walking him down and unloading a barrage of fists on his person until Kennedy wilted to the canvas for the stoppage.

Kennedy, who'd seen two separate dates with Rashad Evans fall through prior to meeting Gastelum, sees his UFC record fall to 3-2 with his second straight loss. His last outing, which took place back in September 2014, also ended by third-round TKO due to strikes, courtesy of Yoel Romero.