Kelvin Gastelum considering return to UFC welterweight division
UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum admitted that he is considering a return to the UFC welterweight division.
Gastelum is the No. 11 ranked middleweight in the UFC right now, and he next takes on No. 12 ranked Nassourdine Imavov at a UFC Fight Night event in early January. For Gastelum, it’s been a tough couple of years. It was in 2019 that he fought Israel Adesanya for the UFC interim middleweight title. He lost that fight, but it was a “Fight of the Year” candidate, and there’s no shame in losing to the champ. The problem is, that loss to Adesanya has slowed Gastelum down quite a bit, as he’s now lost five of his last six fights. To be fair to Gastelum, he’s been fighting elite opponents for the most part. But anytime you lost five of six, you consider changes.
That’s why Gastelum is now considering a move back down to 170lbs. Remember, Gastelum previously fought at welterweight in the UFC, but he was forced to move up to middleweight after several weight misses. That being said, it’s been over six years since he last attempted a drop down to 170lbs. At age 31, he’s considering it again.
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com in a recent interview, Gastelum admitted he’s thinking about a return to 170lbs.
“It’s something that I’ve thought about. I want to take one more fight at 185 pounds, and then after that, we’ll see if we make those changes to come back to 170. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities,” Gastelum said.
It’s also worth noting that while the UFC does not have a 175lbs super-welterweight division, Gastelum admits that would’ve benefited him. At 5’9″ he is one of the smallest middleweights in the UFC, but he’s made up for it with his skills. If there was ever a 175lbs category, however, maybe that would’ve been the best for his career.
“Yeah, definitely, I would’ve benefited from a 175-pound category. I would’ve liked that, but it was never made,” Gastelum said.
Do you want to see Kelvin Gastelum return to the UFC welterweight division, or do you think he should continue to fight at middleweight?
