Despite earning a unanimous decision win at UFC Saudi Arabia last night, Dana White was far from happy with veteran Kelvin Gastelum.
Getting your hand raised in the UFC octagon must be one of the sweetest sensations in all of combat sports. But after you’ve forced the promotion to move a contractually-agreed-upon fight up a weight class due to poor discipline; even the most vital of victories comes with a rather sour taste.
Kelvin Gastelum sends heartfelt apology to the UFC for weight chaos
Speaking to Daniel Cormier after his unanimous decision win over Daniel Rodriguez, TUF winner and former middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum thanked the Saudi Arabia crowd, noting that “I had a great time,” before addressing the elephant in the arena.
“Dana [White], Hunter [Campbell] – I want to be the best company man that I can be. I have the best intentions for this company, I love the UFC and I want to stay in the UFC forever, for as long as I can.
“I’m sorry, what happened this week was unacceptable. I promise that I’ll be better, and I know that I’ve said that before, but I’m not a perfect person.”
Gastelum reaffirmed that this fight was arguably “the most important fight in my life,” as he continued to recognize the awkward position that such a dramatic weight cut issue caused the UFC brass.
“I always try and be better, it is what it is. Thank you guys for the opportunity, as always, I am living my dream… I’ve been in there with the best and I know how to win fights… So I just want to say thank you to Dana, Hunter for making this happen.”
Gastelum would not make an appearance at the UFC Saudi Arabia post-fight press conference, with the now 19-9 middleweight taking to Instagram to explain that he’d been sent to the hospital for medical checks.
“What’s up guys, we did it, thank you everyone for the support. I’m in the hospital getting checked for a couple of bruises on my head – D-Rod hits like a truck… I know sometimes it’s not the best or the easiest being a KG fan.
“Thank you for being with me through the ups and downs, I give you guys my heart and soul every time I step in there so thank you for the support.”
Whilst the apology has been accepted by a few disgruntled fans, one man who certainly wasn’t happy with the continued lack of discipline in Gastelum’s career was UFC President Dana White.
Dana White sends stark reminder to Gastelum over weight issue
Dana White notoriously hates it when fighters miss their contractually-agreed-upon weight limit, even more so when missing weight becomes a regular occurrence.
When asked at the post-fight press conference whether Gastelum will indeed attempt to return to welterweight, or stay at middleweight, White said with an exasperated expression, “I don’t know.”
“I’m not thrilled with Kelvin Gastelum right now,” he stated, refusing to even acknowledge the victory or performance of the former middleweight title challenger.
“You know, this guy’s missed weight like three times… You’ve got kids [on this card] taking fights on a weeks’ notice, jumping off cards, coming over here and [are] making weight and Kelvin doesn’t make weight – it’s extremely disappointing.”
It seems like the majority of MMA fans online are in agreement with White on this one, with various replies calling for Gastelum to be cut from the UFC.
With the victory in Saudi Arabia, Kelvin Gastelum moves to 19-9 as a professional, whilst Daniel Rodriguez falls to 17-5.