Kelvin Gastelum Wants #1 Contender Fight
Kelvin Gastelum will headline his first UFC event in March when he faces former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 106. Gastelum, assuming he defeats Belfort, would like his next fight to be a #1 contenders fight.
"I’m not against (staying at 185), but I feel like welterweight is my optimal weight class. But I’m not against staying at 185,” Gastelum said to MMA Fighting. "What I want is the No. 1 contender fight after this fight, whether it’s at middleweight or at welterweight. I want to fight for the No. 1 contender so I might get my title shot. But it doesn't matter if I’m at middleweight or welterweight, I just want to fight the No. 1 contender. That’s the only fight I’m willing to take. I’m not gonna take any other fight other than the No. 1 contender fight.”
Gastelum recently returned from Brazil, where he got into a staredown with his future opponent.
"It was intense,” Gastelum said. "I don’t think he wants to be my friend right now [laughs], so I kind of just kept my distance and that’s it. Let’s do our jobs and we’re just gonna keep each other a distance right now. Every fighter is different,” he continued. "When I was going to fight 'Cowboy' Cerrone, he was hugging me, we were riding the same van together, everywhere together. He was friendly, you know? Vitor likes to keep distance from his opponent, not talk. We have to be separate, you know? Every fighter is different. I like to be respectful. Whatever my opponent wants. If he wants to say hi to me and be friendly, then I’ll be friendly back. But if he doesn’t, I’ll give him that space. It just depends on the fighter. But I can be friendly with everybody. We’re gonna fight either way."
UFC Fight Night 106 takes place on Saturday, March 11 from the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil with Kelvin Gastelum and Vitor Belfort headlining.
