It looks like Kelvin Gastelum will be getting the next shot at UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. First, however, he’ll have to coach opposite him.
During Friday’s Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale broadcast, the UFC announced the coaches for the next (and possibly final) season of the reality show. Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum will step into the role on TUF 28, serving as head coaches for both men’s heavyweights and women’s featherweights. The show is expected to begin filming shortly.
🚨🚨JUST ANNOUNCED: Team @RobWhittakerMMA vs Team @KelvinGastelum set for #TUF28 🙌 pic.twitter.com/jJ3BUiAzBl
— UFC Aus/New Zealand (@UFC_AUSNZ) July 7, 2018
The announcement confirms the pairing of Gastelum with Whittaker as the next middleweight title challenger. Ariel Helwani of ESPN was among the first to report the news Friday.
The target date for Whittaker vs. Gastelum appears to be toward the end of 2018. That puts UFC 231 in Toronto (December 8) and UFC 232, the UFC’s annual New Year’s Eve show, in play. The TUF 28 Finale is also expected to air in December.
Whittaker (20–4), just twenty-seven years old, is just hitting his prime. He’s won nine straight in the UFC and is undefeated in the promotion at 185lbs. The middleweight champ is coming off a brutal war against Yoel Romero, and has struggled with injuries of late. Given the punishment he took in the Romero fight (his second win against the Cuban), some time off would do him well.
Kelvin Gastelum (15–3 (1)), meanwhile, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 17, has won two straight, over Jacare Souza and Michael Bisping. Both showings earned Gastelum bonuses — a Performance of the Night against Bisping, and Fight of the Night against Jacare.
The booking leaves Chris Weidman as the odd man out at middleweight. The former champion had been campaigning hard for another crack at gold.
