Kelvin Gastelum explains why he was ‘a little bothered’ by Joe Pyfer matchup at UFC Mexico City
Kelvin Gastelum didn’t want to fight Joe Pyfer this weekend.
On Saturday, Gastelum takes on Pyfer in the featured main card bout at UFC Mexico City. It’s Gastelum’s first fight since his unanimous decision win over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia last year. That bout was a bit of a fiasco for Gastelum as it was supposed to be a welterweight contest until weight issues during fight week led to the bout being changed to a middleweight fight. This time there will be no such issues though as Gastelum says his days of jumping between weight classes are over.
“Yeah, 185 is my home,” Gastelum told reporters at UFC Mexico City media day. “And you know what? I feel good about it. This is where I’ve had the best moments of my career. This is where I’m staying. I feel good here, I feel happy, and I feel strong. I put on a lot of muscle to be able to compete with these big guys.
“Before, when I was competing at middleweight, I was undecided whether I was going to stay or not. I even went back down to welterweight. ... When I was fighting for the title, I stayed at middleweight because I was doing well. I was winning fights, I fought for the title, so I stayed at middleweight. Where now I feel like this is my actual home. I feel good here and I’m ready to put on a good show against some of the best fighters in the world. I’m not undecided, I’m 100 percent sure this is where I’m staying.”
Though Gastelum won The Ultimate Fighter 17 as a middleweight, he quickly dropped down to 170 pounds and had plenty of success. Unfortunately, Gastelum was also plagued by weight issues, prompting a move up to 185 pounds where he challenged Israel Adesanya for the interim title at UFC 236. Though Gastelum lost a decision that night, the fight was the 2019 Fight of the Year and is being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.
So given his many accomplishments, Gastelum admits he was less than impressed when the UFC offered him Joe Pyfer at UFC Mexico.
“At first I was a little bothered by the matchup, just because he’s not someone that I was looking for in a fight,” Gastelum said. “He’s not on my radar. I wanted someone ranked. I wanted someone with a bigger name. But you know what? I feel like this is a big test for me. I’ve got to start from the bottom again. I’ve got to fight these young killers and that’s what I’m here to do. This is a new chapter in my life, a new chapter in my career, and I’ve got to build my way back up to the rankings, and it starts with Joe Pyfer.”
Should Gastelum get past Pyfer on Saturday, he’ll have plenty of options for what comes next. And while he’s not looking for another dance with his UFC Hall of Fame compatriot, if a rematch against Israel Adesanya is offered, Gastelum says he’s open to that.
“It’s not something that was in my radar but if it ends up happening and the stars align for it to happen, I don’t see why not,” Gastelum said. “But as far as it being in my radar, it was not. Izzy and I have always been very cordial since the fight. He’s been nothing but respectful towards me, so I feel no ill will toward him. But if for whatever reason the stars align where we are matched up again, then we’d have to consider it.”
UFC Mexico City takes place this Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.