Kelvin Gastelum: The Middleweight Mission Begins Anew

Gastelum did indeed land on the wrong side of the results that night, dropping a unanimous decision by scores of 48-46 across the board in a rare instance where all three judges scored the contest the exact same, with the two men entering the final round even at two rounds each, and Adesanya rallying to deliver a dominant effort in the fifth to secure the victory and the interim title.

It’s the closest the man whose social media handles are “@OnAMissionForGold” has come to fulfilling that mission, but Saturday feels like a fresh start down the road to once again challenge for UFC gold.

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After years of bouncing between divisions, never completely committing one way or the other, Gastelum has returned to middleweight in full, using the time since his last bout in August to not only give himself time to get fully healthy, but also to add the requisite mass needed in order to compete with the elite talent in the 185-pound weight class each and every time out. 

“Finally, I’m at a place where I took some time, I healed my body, I feel good,” he said of going all-in on competing at middleweight. “I put on some muscle, I put some beef on me, and I feel strong, I feel healthy; haven’t felt like this in a few years.

“I just feel like my old self again. I feel good, I feel healthy, I feel bouncy in my steps again, so I feel like I’m gonna go out and put on a good performance for everyone. I worked really hard to be able to do something like that, to be able to do something special on Saturday.” 

That work includes spending the last month in Mexico City, a place where he had success earlier in his career, but under very different circumstances.

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“They made the experience a whole lot better,” Gastelum said, laughing, when asked about the differences between this extended stay in Saturday’s host city and his previous trips to the Mexican capital in 2014 and 2015. “Rather than lifting rocks and throwing watermelons, they’ve made the whole experience better having the (UFC Performance Institute) out here. This is a Disneyland for athletes, so we had a lot of fun out here rather than trying to figure things out.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Mexico City. I owe my people out here a good fight, and finally we got one matched up for them this Saturday. I made sure I left no stone unturned for this fight.”

The matchup with Pyfer, which falls in the middle of this weekend’s main card, is a fascinating one on a number of different levels.

A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, Pyfer stormed out of the gates to begin his UFC journey, but faltered at the beginning of last year when he headlined opposite veteran contender Jack Hermansson, fading after a good start to lose on the scorecards. He’s since rebounded with another knockout win that reverberated through the division, and now faces off with Gastelum as the former interim title challenger looks to restart another push into contention himself.

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While both currently reside outside of the rankings, it’d be easy to argue that Gastelum’s overall resume — including the fact that he’s getting inducted into the Hall of Fame for a middleweight title fight later this year — could afford him the chance to face a ranked opponent right out of the chute, but the now 33-year-old former Ultimate Fighter winner understands that what’s done is done, and everything starts anew this weekend. 

If that means having to get through a dangerous opponent like Pyfer in order to start working his way back up the divisional ladder, so be it.

“I know that I’ve got to start fresh in this division,” acknowledged Gastelum, who is hopefulthat a strong effort on Saturday will elevate him back into the rankings, positioning him for another key fight later this year. “I feel like it’s a new start in this division, so now that I’ve 100 percent given myself to this weight class, I’m gonna dedicate 100 percent of my energy to beating everyone in this weight class.” 

And for those that view this weekend’s contest as a chance for the dangerous DWCS grad to take a big step forward by turning aside an established name, the former interim title challenger and impending Hall of Fame inductee is looking forward to dispelling those notions in front of a partisan crowd on Saturday night.

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“I think this is a fight where it’s a ‘Y’all musta forgot’ moment, and I’m gonna have to remind them who the hell I am,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve put in a lot of work, so I’m ready to get my hand raised.”