San Antonio, TX — Kevlin Gastelum returned to the win column at Noche UFC on Saturday, but that victory comes with an asterisk for the TUF champ.
“This is what I’m supposed to do. This is what I’ve been doing for over a decade. I expected no less,” Gastelum (20-10, 1NC), now a UFC Hall of Fame member in the Fight Wing, told Cageside Press and other media outlets following his win on Saturday, which saw him bounce back from a loss to Joe Pyfer. Kelvin picked up a unanimous decision win over Dustin Stoltzfus in the bout.
Still, Fight Week saw him miss weight for the short-notice affair. Under the circumstances, Gastelum might have seen more of a pass, but with a history of weight struggles, the critics were out in full force.
Gastelum admitted that he enjoyed the abbreviated fight camp, even if the end result was trouble at the scales once again.
“I like these four weeks, because we just went straight into the grind. We devised a plan to lose the weight, unfortunately I wasn’t able to fulfill that plan, and it kind of spoils the win here a little bit,” admitted Gastelum. “But at the end of the day, what matters is the win, and we got the win.”
Asked about a possible change in weight class, the middleweight said only “we’re good where we’re at.”
As far as fighting on a card designed to celebrate Mexico’s independence and fighting spirit, “I’ve been wanting to fight on a Noche card for a long, long time,” stated Gastelum. “Representing my Mexican heritage is something I’ve done for a long, long time and finally got it done today.”
Still just 33, Gastelum expects to continue competing for a while yet. “I still feel like I have some things to offer. For the next few years at least, I can compete at this level. I still feel there’s some things I can do at this level.”
Watch the full Noche UFC post-fight press conference with Kelvin Gastelum above.
