Kelvin Gastelum and coach punished for elbow incident at UFC 244 weigh-ins

Kelvin Gastelum made weight for his UFC 244 fight with Darren Till, but not without controversy.

As the middleweight contender stepped onto the scale behind a towel — an indicator of a tough weight cut — he appeared to lean his elbow on his coach Rafael Cordeiro, effectively displacing some of his mass from the scale.

See the video of this controversial moment below:

Initially, Team Gastelum was adamant no foul had been committed.

“People are tripping,” Coach Cordeiro told MMA Fighting shortly after this incident. “I went there to check his weight. How am I going to lift him two pounds with my chest? They are crazy. They are tripping. It’s drama to sell the fight. There’s no way. There’s no way.

“There were two athletic commission officials there, I was in front of the whole world… That’s impossible. It doesn’t even cross my mind to try to break the law. The kid made weight, two pounds under. He did his job. He was the last one, he was sweating, running like a maniac, working hard, and got the job done. Everyone has a mouth and can say whatever they want.”

Unfortunately for Gastelum and his coach, the New York State Athletic Commission saw enough evidence of wrongdoing to dish out some punishment. The commission has fined Gastelum $1000 and Cordeiro $200. Both men will be suspended until fines are paid off. Given the size of the sums in question, that probably shouldn’t take long (via MMA Fighting).

Kelvin Gastelum lost his UFC 244 fight with Darren Till by split decision. Since then, he’s been adamant that he’ll make a comeback in 2020.

What’s your take on this controversial moment at the UFC 244 weigh ins? Do you think a fine was deserved? Join the conversation in the comments section.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/8/2019.