Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC Mexico, we are going to see a fun middleweight matchup between two men who will be fighting to get into the top fifteen. Former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum (19-9) will take on the very dangerous Joe Pyfer (13-3).
Starting with Gastelum, he’s back at 185 after once again not showing he could make welterweight work when it comes to the weight. He was supposed to face Daniel Rodriguez last June at 170 but a weight miss forced it to be a catchweight. He won the fight with his wrestling but Dana White wasn’t thrilled and now he’s back at 185. Gastelum won his last fight at 185 against Chris Curtis.
Standing in his way tomorrow is Joe Pyfer. Pyfer had a ton of UFC hype after he earned a contract on The Contender Series. Pyfer stopped his first three opponents before getting a main event against Jack Hermansson. He lost that fight but bounced back with a TKO over Marc-Andre Barriault.
UFC Mexico Prediction
This is a hard fight for me to predict because I never know what to expect from Kelvin Gastelum. From a pure talent and ability standpoint, there’s not many better than Kelvin Gastelum. He is world class in terms of his potential but his work ethic has just completely derailed his UFC career.
If we get a 100% motivated and focused Kelvin Gastelum, he can win this fight tomorrow night. Gastelum is the faster fighter and his technique is better on the feet. He also has a chin that’s made of rock and if Gastelum has properly prepared, he has the cardio advantage.
Pyfer has to fight smart tomorrow. If he tries to go out there and finish Kelvin Gastelum early, he could easily lose the final two rounds because of Gastelum’s cardio and Pyfer gassing out. That said, I like Joe Pyfer here. I like his ability to land bigger shots and in the clinch, I like his physical strength advantage. Give me Pyfer by decision at UFC Mexico.