Kelvin Gastelum says move back to middleweight at UFC Mexico City is permanent: “185 is my home”

Kelvin Gastelum says he will be a middleweight again from here on out.

Gastelum is set to return to the middleweight division to take on Joe Pyfer on the main card of UFC Mexico City. It’s an intriguing fight as it also serves as Gastelum’s return to middleweight. The former interim title challenger fought just once at welterweight, losing to Sean Brady before facing Daniel Rodriguez in his return to middleweight.

Now, as Gastelum is set to take on Pyfer at middleweight, he confirms he will remain at 185 pounds and won’t be going back down to welterweight again.

“Yeah, 185 is my home. I feel good about it. This is where I have had the best moments of my career, this is where I’m staying. I feel good here, I feel happy, and I put on a lot of muscle to compete with these big guys,” Gastelum said at UFC Mexico City media day.

Kelvin Gastelum says middleweight is his home

Gastelum says he has added muscle and feels like a natural middleweight, which is why he feels comfortable at 185 pounds.

The former interim middleweight title challenger is also confident that 185lbs is where he should be from here on out.

“When I was fighting for the title, I just stayed at middleweight because I was doing well. I was winning fights, I fought for the title. So, I stayed at middleweight. Now, I feel like this is my actual home,” Gastelum said. “I feel good here. I’m ready to put on a good show against some of the best fighters in the world. I’m not undecided, I’m 100 percent sure that this is where I’m staying.”

However, despite feeling confident, Gastelum is a sizeable underdog on Saturday against Joe Pyfer. But he’s confident he will thrive at middleweight and be able to win fights.

Kelvin Gastelum is 19-9 and one NC as a pro and coming off a decision win over Daniel Rodriguez. In the UFC, Gastelum is 13-9 and one NC as a pro and has notable wins over Michael Bisping, Jacare Souza, and Johny Hendricks.