Kelvin Gastelum may have left a stain on this fight with a five-pound weight miss, but his victory over Dustin Stoltzfus still brought some of the best action that could be found at Noche UFC.
Stoltzfus managed to start strong in the opening round, chopping at Gastelum’s legs and body while adding in a pair of submission attempts. Gastelum fired back in the second round, however, going blow-for-blow with Stoltzfus and rocking him with sharp left hands. Gastelum looked like he could have been near a finish, but Stoltzfus threw up an unsuccessful late choke attempt.
Gastelum then used his boxing and takedown defense to control the third round and take the decision victory.
Kelvin Gastelum Bests Dustin Stoltzfus In Entertaining Noche UFC Battle
Damn bruh happy you got that win but I know that 30 percent hurt 😢
Kelvin Gastelum could have saved 35 percent of his purse with little more effort to make weight. Nevertheless, he got the win after missing the weight by 5 pounds. This was an unfair advantage tbh so good on Dustin Stoltzfus to take this fight after that.#NocheUFC
Kelvin Gastelum finds himself on the wrong side of the scales once again.
Gastelum is set to face Dustin Stoltzfus in a middleweight clash at this year’s Noche UFC event on September 13 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. However, the former Ultimate Fighter winner ran into trouble at the scales on Friday during the official weigh-in, coming in at 191 pounds, five pounds over the 186-pound non-title limit.
Kelvin Gastelum misses the middleweight limit by 5lbs at Noche UFC weighing in at 191lbs 😬 pic.twitter.com/XZDCg17UgV
The former UFC 185-pound interim title challenger last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 316 this past June, where he fell to Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision. Gastelum’s most recent victory came at UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024, where he secured a hard-fought decision over Daniel Rodrigues.
The 33-year-old Californian has endured a prolonged rough stretch in his career, compiling a 3-7 record across his last 10 outings since April 2019.
Meanwhile, Stoltzfus is also looking to rebound, having dropped a unanimous decision to Nursulton Ruziboev in his most recent appearance at UFC Vegas 106 this past May. The former Dana White’s Contender Series standout has struggled to live up to expectations, holding a 3-6 record across nine fights in the UFC.
How Many Times Has Kelvin Gastelum Missed Weight In His UFC Career?
Kelvin Gastelum has built up a notable history of weight management struggles throughout his UFC career. His first miss came in June 2014 at UFC San Antonio, where he failed to make the welterweight limit ahead of his fight with Nico Musoke.
Just months later, at UFC 183 in February 2015, Gastelum came in a staggering nine pounds over the 171-pound mark for his matchup with Tyron Woodley.
In November 2016, Gastelum once again failed to make weight, this time with significant repercussions as his scheduled bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 was scrapped entirely.
