Kelvin Gastelum announced his drop back to 170 pounds on Thursday, bringing the excitement of a potential title run in the UFC Welterweight Division. The 31-year-old Ultimate Fighter season 17 winner has 20 UFC fights under his belt and looks to make an impact in the weight class he once competed in.
Gastelum stated “this is a second chance, this is a renaissances in my career. This is a rebirth… Now that I’m older, hopefully I’ll be more mature and smarter, hopefully”. His last fight at 170 was in 2016 against Johny Hendricks at UFC 200 where he won by unanimous decision after Hendricks missed weight for their bout.
Since then Gastelum has been competing at Middleweight since late 2016 where he secured wins over Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 as well as Chris Curtis who he outpointed for Fight Of The Night honors at UFC 287 last April which put behind him a 1-5 run that started 2019.
The move back down to welterweight could have several impacts both good and bad for Gastelum:
- Positives – It appears Kelvin believes dropping down will make it easier for him to maintain an ideal fighting weight thus improving his cardio going into each fight.
- Negatives – Dropping classes typically means facing tougher competition with increased risk of getting injured due to heightened physicality.
It’s fair to say that expectations from fans are already high as some believe if managed correctly this could be one of the greatest moves of Gastelum’s career setting up future success with potential title contention depending on how things pan out over the next year or two. However only time can tell how successful Kelvin will be during his return journey towards 170lbs but if anything it looks like there may soon be another big name entering mix within one of mixed martial arts most competitive divisions.
This article was written by MMA Journalist (NAME)Kelvin Gastelum has already had a successful career in the UFC, with 20 fights and a win at Ultimate Fighter Season 17. Now that he is back at 170 pounds, many fans are hoping the move will be beneficial for him not just as an athlete but also from a business perspective.
Gastelum is aware of the risks associated with dropping classes such as tougher competition and potential injury risk due to heightened physicality. However, his return journey could have several positive implications as well including improved cardio going into each fight due to maintaining an ideal fighting weight.
It remains to be seen whether this move will pay off for Kelvin Gastelum who has only been absent from welterweight since 2016 or if it was simply too little too late, but one thing’s for sure: fans are expecting big things from him now that he’s back in familiar territory. He has certainly shown throughout his career that he isn’t afraid of taking on tough opponents and so far his success rate has proven itself time and again — most recently in wins over Tim Kennedy and Chris Curtis at UFC 206 and 287 respectively.
It would come as no surprise if we were witnessing yet another title run by Kelvin Gastelum in 2021 — especially given how competitive the welterweight division is right now — so it may be fair to say that we should all keep an eye out when this firey Mexican-American fighter steps back in the octagon later this year or early next year! This article was written by MMA Journalist (NAME).
Comments:
I think it’s great that Gastelum is returning to the 170lbs weight class. He has always been a top fighter in the welterweight division, and I’m sure he won’t have any trouble making waves now that he’s back.
Gastelum will definitely be one of the toughest fighters out there in this weight class. It’s exciting to see someone with his talent coming back into the mix after such a long absence.
I’m excited about Kelvin Gastelum returning to Welterweight! He has proven himself time and again across different divisions, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of results he can get now that he’s back in familiar territory.
It will be exciting to watch Kelvin compete against some of the best welterweights out there right now. His return could create an entirely new level of competition within this already highly competitive weight class.
In my opinion, Gastelum is one of those rare fighters who can adapt and excel no matter what circumstances they’re presented with. I’m very optimistic about his potential title run at 170 pounds.
It’ll be interesting to see how far Kelvin can go with this move back down. Despite being absent from Welterweight for a few years, I still believe he has what it takes to make an impact in this division once more.
The move makes perfect sense for Kelvin as long as he manages his weight correctly during camp. This would ensure improved cardiorespiratory performance which theoretically should lead him closer towards title contention sooner rather than later.
His last fight at 170 was against Johny Hendricks at UFC 200 where he won by unanimous decision after Hendricks missed weight for their bout – shows how talented Gastelum really is!
Kelvin Gastlelum could potentially become champion if managed properly over the next year or two – fans are already high on expectations because they know just how competitive and talented Kelvin is when it comes mixed martial arts
This could prove itself as one of his greatest moves yet – only time will tell but we should all keep our eyes peeled when seeing him step into octagon later on!
I think people underestimate just how much potential this man holds- we may very well witness another star rise up within Welterweight soon enough!