Kelvin Gastelum hopes to be a force at middleweight and welterweight

Kelvin Gastelum is one of the best welterweights on the planet, but there’s a definite asterisk attached to that statement. The young contender has missed the division’s 170-pound weight limit three times, most recently in November, when he was so far over weight for a planned bout with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone that he didn’t even bother stepping onto the scale.

After this massive weigh in miss, Gastelum was sent packing to the middleweight division, where he recently scored a huge win over an elite foe in Tim Kennedy. In the wake of this win, Gastelum has now been pencilled in for a bout with Vitor Belfort in Brazil. If he wins it, he’ll find himself firmly embedded in the UFC middleweight top-15 – but don’t expect that to keep him in the division.

In a recent interview with BloodyElbow.com, the young talent explained his intention to take big fights at both middleweight and welterweight.

His words:

“I don’t see why I can’t be competing in both weight classes. I felt great at 185. I feel I can excel at this weight, and I feel I beat the top guys at this weight. I remember a few years back, I wasn’t very confident in my abilities. But now, a few years have passed, and I’m pretty confident in my abilities, confident in my skills to know that I can compete with the best middleweights and also the best welterweights.”

“They’ve granted me my wish and they got me a fight I’m interested in — a main event fight in Brazil against a legend like Vitor,” added the 25-year-old. “I can’t say no to that.”

“I think it’ll open up my horizons even more. Whatever fight gets me to the title fight faster is the fight that I’ll take.”

Do you think Kelvin Gastelum should stay at middleweight? Sound off, PENN Nation!