Kelvin Gastelum Starts Welterweight Return with Upcoming Bout

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).