MEXICO CITY – Kelvin Gastelum is “100 percent sure” that middleweight will be the only division he competes in for the remainder of his UFC career.
After winning Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series at 185 pounds, Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) went down to welterweight. Issues around his weight cut ultimately forced him back up a weight class and led to a window of his most success.
The results started to turn in a negative way, though, prompted Gastelum to again try 170 pounds. It didn’t prove much more beneficial, and the familiar weight-cutting problems arose again. Now Gastelum is back at middleweight against for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64 matchup with Joe Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at Arena CDMX in Mexico City (ESPN2, ESPN+), and for him, this is it.
“185 is my home, and I feel good about it,” Gastelum told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 64 media day. “This is where I’ve had the best moments of my career and this is where I’m staying. I feel good here, I feel happy and I feel strong. I put on a lot of muscle to be able to compete with these big guys.
“Before when I was competing at middleweight, I was undecided if I was going to stay or not. I even went back down to welterweight. … I’m not undecided (anymore). I’m 100 percent sure that this is where I’m staying.”
Gastelum looks to start fresh with a victory over Pyfer, who he admits was not the opponent he pictured for his next octagon appearance, but one he is now embracing.
“At first, I was a little bothered by the matchup because he’s not someone I was looking for on a fight,” Gastelum said. “He was not on my radar. I wanted someone ranked. I wanted someone with a bigger name. But I also feel like this is a big test for me. I’ve got to start from the bottom again and I’ve got to fight these young killers, and this is what I’m here to do. This is a new chapter in my life, a new chapter in my career and I’ve got to build my way back through the rankings – and it starts with Joe Pyfer.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
