For the first time in nearly seven years, Kelvin Gastelum returns to welterweight.
After a 12-fight stint at 185 pounds, Gastelum announced Thursday that he will be moving back up to the 170-pound weight division.
“I’m making an official announcement, it’s officially down to 170,” Gastelum said. “Expect my next fight at 170. I will crash, I hope, and I think I can take another title in that weight class. I think I can do it.”
Gastelum racked up five wins during his middleweight campaign, which included an interim title shot against Israel Adesanya where he dropped a decision in one of the best fights of 2019.
The 31-year-old found success competing as a welterweight early in his UFC career after winning Season 17 of the The ultimate fighter. Gastelum won his first four fights at 170 in the octagon before losing a split decision to Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 in January 2015, a fight that Gastelum lost for five pounds.
Gastelum’s weight problems continued ahead of his scheduled UFC 205 bout with Donald Cerrone. He didn’t even step on the scale, realizing that he wouldn’t be able to reach a weight that would allow him to compete.
Now that he’s older and wiser, Gastelum said he thinks he has the mentality to make those issues of making the border a thing of the past.
“This is a second chance, it’s a renaissance in my career,” he explained. “This is a rebirth. Previously, I was young, stupid and undisciplined, but now that I am older, [I’m] A little more mature and smarter, we hope. That’s always been my weight class to go in, but it really took me to decide I wanted to do it, and now I’m [have decided] I will do that.”