Entering 2019, many people believed that Kelvin Gastelum (15-6, 1 NC) was near the top of the UFC‘s middleweight division.
Gastelum came into the year coming off of a knockout win over former champion Michael Bisping, and a win over Jacare Souza. Those wins led him to getting a interim title shot against Israel Adesanya.
The fight back at UFC 236 was an instant classic. Both men had big moments in the fight. Gastelum became the first man inside the UFC to make Adesanya look vulnerable.
In the final round of the fight, Adesanya made it clear that he was the better man. Gastelum fell in that fight, but his stock actually rose.
A fall from the top of the UFC’s middleweight division
Now we fast forward to our present time, and nobody believes that Gastelum is at the top of the UFC‘s middleweight division. After last Saturday, Gastelum is now 0-3 in his last three fights in the division.
Gastelum lost his fight to Adesanya then took on middleweight newcomer and former UFC welterweight title challenger, Darren Till. Despite a split decision, I thought it was clear Till won the fight unanimously.
Gastelum took eight months off before showing up on Fight Island to fight Jack Hermansson. Gastelum talked about his mental struggles, but was confident he would dominate Hermansson. Hermansson went on to submit Gastelum in 78 seconds.
Gastelum is just getting ready to turn 29-years old, but where does he go from here? Gastelum is naturally a welterweight, but struggled mightily to make weight at 170.
After missing weight multiple times, Dana White forced Gastelum to move up. While his middleweight career started out well, he’s now just 3-4, 1 NC in the division.
I really think that Gastelum should evaluate what he wants to do moving forward. I think he could be one of the best welterweights in the world if he could show a little more discipline.
If Gastelum decides to stay in the UFC middleweight division, I’m not sure where he goes from here. Maybe he fights the loser of the Edmen Shahbazyan/Derek Brunson fight next? If not that, he’s going to have to take someone near the bottom of the top 15. Gastelum really needs to take a step back and evaluate the next steps in his career.