Kelvin Gastelum spent most of his post-fight interview at UFC Saudi Arabia issuing an apology to executives Dana White and Hunter Campbell after he as soon as once more struggled to make weight.
Only a day earlier than he was alleged to step on the dimensions, Gastelum’s workforce knowledgeable opponent Daniel Rodriguez that there was no approach he was going to make the contracted welterweight restrict. So what began as a welterweight battle ended up being renegotiated right into a middleweight battle on brief discover.
Gastelum went on to win a unanimous choice, however it seems that saying sorry wasn’t sufficient to sway the UFC CEO into forgiving him for this newest incident involving weight reducing in his profession.
“I’m not thrilled with Kelvin Gastelum proper now,” White stated on the UFC Saudi Arabia post-fight press convention. “This man’s missed weight like 3 times in his profession.”
Technically, Gastelum has now did not make weight 4 totally different instances since becoming a member of the UFC roster and it’s at all times surrounded his makes an attempt to compete at 170 kilos.
His first weight miss got here again in 2014 and that was adopted by Gastelum coming in 10 kilos over the welterweight restrict for a battle towards Tyron Woodley in 2015. He then had his bout scrapped with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in 2016 after he was unable to make the 171-pound restrict for a non-title battle at UFC 205.
Gastelum spent the subsequent few years at middleweight earlier than deciding to return to welterweight. He efficiently made weight previous to a loss to Sean Brady this previous December, however his struggles got here again to hang-out him once more in Saudi Arabia.
White appeared notably upset that Gastelum did not make weight whereas athletes like Ikram Aliskerov and Antonio Trocoli accepted brief discover fights, flew all the way in which to Saudi Arabia, and nonetheless hit the mark with none incident.
“You bought children taking fights on per week’s discover, leaping on playing cards, coming over right here and making weight and Kelvin doesn’t make weight,” White stated. “It’s extraordinarily disappointing.”
When Gastelum confronted these points earlier in his UFC profession, White demanded he transfer as much as 185 kilos and declared on the time that the fighter wouldn’t be allowed to compete at welterweight once more.
White loosened his stance when Gastelum determined to return to welterweight for his two most up-to-date fights, but it surely’s powerful to think about he’s going to get one other strive after the debacle that unfolded in Saudi Arabia.
