Vicente Luque found himself in some early trouble, but he was able to gather himself up and battle back to drop and submit Kelvin Gastelum during the UFC 327 prelims.
Gastelum came out on the front foot early, trying to pressure Luque with single shots. Gastelum brought Luque to the fence and pinned him there before scoring the takedown. Gastelum troubled Luque, holding him for a while and attempting a choke.
Luque, however, was able to work his way out of Gastelum’s grasp. Despite Gastelum’s strong chin, Luque landed a strong right uppercut that dropped him. Luque then held Gastelum down on the ground for a bit before locking in a D’Arce choke to score the submission.
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 đą
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 yearâs 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 đŹ 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. Gastelumâs 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 Whiteâs 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.
The UFC is set to host its third annual Mexican Independence Day celebration, Noche UFC, this Saturday, September 13, live from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. MMA News brings you the official weigh-in results to get fans primed for fight night.
Headlining the action is a featherweight showdown, as former UFC title challenger Diego Lopes goes toe-to-toe with No. 10-ranked contender Jean Silva in a pivotal clash.
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, seasoned bantamweight contender Rob Font will square off against late-notice replacement David Martinez. The night will also crown a new star as The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 welterweight finale takes place between Rodrigo Sezinando and Daniil Donchenko.
Before the action kicks off at Noche UFC, fighters will hit the scales Friday morning at the UFCâs host hotel in the âAlamo City”.
Noche UFC Complete Weigh-In Results
Main Card
Featherweight bout: Diego Lopes (146) vs. Jean Silva (145.5)
Bantamweight bout: Rob Font (135) vs. David MartĂnez (135.5)
Lightweight bout: Rafa GarcĂa (155.5) vs. Jared Gordon (156)
Middleweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum (191)* vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5)
Bantamweight bout: Santiago Luna (136) vs. Quang Le (136)
Preliminary Card
Lightweight bout: Alexander Hernandez (155.5) vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira (156)
Lightweight bout: Claudio Puelles (156) vs. Joaquim Silva (156)
Strawweight bout: Tatiana Suarez (115.5) vs. Amanda Lemos (116)
Flyweight bout: JesĂșs Santos Aguilar (126) vs. Luis Gurule (125.5)
Middleweight bout: Zachary Reese (185.5) vs. Sedriques Dumas (186)
Flyweight bout: Alessandro Costa (125.5) vs. Alden Coria (126)
Womenâs bantamweight bout: Montserrat Rendon (136) vs. Alice Pereira (136)
TUF 33 welterweight final bout: Rodrigo Sezinando (170.5) vs. Daniil Donchenko (171)
*Kelvin Gastelum weighed in five pounds over the middleweight limit.He will forfeit 35% of his fight purse to his opponent, but the bout will go on as planned.
"Easy money!" đ€ @DiegoLopesMMA hits the scale at 146lbs for our main event!
Joe Pyfer’s continued to rise up the ranks at UFC 316, though perhaps not in the strongest performance as some would have liked against future Hall of Famer Kelvin Gastelum in one of the featured fights of the evening.
Pyfer came close to finishing the fight twice during the opening round. Very early on, he dropped Gastelum with a right hand before swarming on him. Pyfer went on to dominate the round, landing a strong head kick that rocked Gastelum before dropping him with another right hand.
Pyfer looked to get back to work in the second round, using his physical advantages as the two hand fought in the first minute. Pyfer landed a strong right hand that appeared to hurt Gastelum, who despite his feints and experience, wasn’t able to do much damage on Pyfer. Gastelum managed to get into a rhythm and find a jab late, landing in close, and especially to the body. Pyfer, meanwhile, appeared to slow down and only threw single punches during the course of the round.
Both men appeared to have moments in the third round. While Pyfer worked a notable combination early, Gastelum prevented a takedown attempt of his — and Gastelum appeared to land stronger punches late in the round. It wasn’t enough, however, as the judges all scored the fight for Pyfer.
Joe Pyfer Scores Decision Win Over Kelvin Gastelum At UFC 316
Salty Joe Pyfer is so overrated, he only has a right hand and throws like 10 punches per round, he would have gotten brutalized by Gastelum at Mexico City's altitude #UFC316
Pyfer has now won seven of his last eight. This marked his first fight in about a year, having most recently knocked out Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303.
Gastelum has now lost four of his last six, though he came into this bout off a win over Daniel Rodriguez last year.
Kelvin Gastelum feels like he is firing on all cylinders leading into his re-booked bout against Joe Pyfer.
The two were initially supposed to compete against one another in late-March at a UFC Fight Night offering before Pyfer pulled out due to illness.
Now in the feature fight of the night on the pay-per-view main card, the two middleweight warriors finally throw down in Newark, New Jersey. At the UFC 316 fight week media day, the promotional stalwart fielded several questions from on-site media members ahead of his fight against Pyfer on Saturday night.
The TUF season 17 champion
Kelvin Gastelum said:
“Oh, absolutely. I’ve been prepared. I’ve known since, I think, Octoberâeven Novemberâwe’ve been prepping, looking into fighting Joe Pyfer. So it’s been quite a… it’s taken up a lot of my time.”
“We took a little time offâjust a week off, went to Disneyland to kind of reset the mind, reset the body. Then we went right back to work and slowly ramped it back up. I think we did it right. I’m peaking just right again, and we only built off the last camp, so everything is just that much better.”
Images: UFC.com
Kelvin Gastelum isn’t thrilled with Pyfer re-booking
Kelvin Gastelum had a sour taste left in his mouth after Joe Pyfer utter some disparaging words about Mexico. This happened in the wake of Pyfer having tot pull out of his UFC on ESPN 64 fight with Gastelum which was set for Q1 2025 in Mexico City. Pyfer fell ill in Mexico and referred to the country as a ‘s**t hole’ which Gastelum admitted left a sour taste in his mouth. At that same UFC 316 pre-fight media day Gastelum described Pyfer’s comments as not right and felt the comments were a little rude.
The frustrations ran a bit deeper as Gastelum felt like he had the confluence of monetary loss and losing a tactical advantage due to his familiarity with the Mexican altitude. The former interim UFC middleweight title challenger invested time and money into a camp out there to acclimatize and it obviously put a dent in his bank account to not end up stepping into the octagon against Joe Pyfer.
On Monday, John Marquez, head coach of Pyfer, broke the news on MMA on SiriusXM that the rescheduled clash with Gastelum is now set for UFC 316, slated to take place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
"We're breaking news here on MMA Today."
John Marquez shares the NEW date for the rebooked fight between Joe Pyfer & Kelvin Gastelum and the details on the sickness that derailed the matchup at #ufcmexico
Pyfer bounced back from his unanimous decision loss to Jack Hermansson with a first-round knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 this past June. Before that setback, “Bodybagz” had been riding high on a wave of momentum, racking up three consecutive finishes inside the Octagon. He now boasts an impressive 4-1 record under the UFC banner.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum last competed at UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024, where he secured a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Daniel Rodriguez. A staple of the UFC roster since making his promotional debut in April 2013, the 33-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance but has often struggled to fully capitalize on his potential.
Over the course of his UFC tenure, Gastelum has compiled a record of 13-9, and one no contest.
Joe Pyfer has opened up after news came out that he has withdrawn from an anticipated showdown with Kelvin Gastelum just hours before the start of UFC Mexico.
Not long after a video interview was released where Pyfer talked about being in excellent shape for the fight, the UFC announced that the middleweight prospect had fallen ill and would not be competing.
“My heart is broken,” Pyfer said in a statement released on his Instagram Story. “I couldn’t fight today. I got super sick, and hopefully we can reschedule this fight for a few weeks from now.
“Unfortunately comes with the territory of traveling outside the States. Never again. My apologies, guys.”
Pyfer, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus, was coming into this fight off an 85-second knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 last July. The bonus-earning performance came after Pyfer suffered his first Octagon defeat — a decision loss to Jack Hermansson that snapped a five-fight win streak that stretched to just before his second DWCS appearance.
Gastelum was set to come into this fight off a decision win over Daniel Rodriguez in a middleweight bout in Saudi Arabia last June. He has won two of his last three. However, he is just 3-6 stretching back to his legendary UFC 236 battle with Israel Adesanya over the interim middleweight championship.
This month’s UFC 313 pay-per-view served as a reminder that no bout is good to go until the cage door closes behind both athletes, with two fights falling through just hours before the card.
And the curse has struck again, this time in Mexico.
After both making weight and facing off on Friday, Joe Pyfer and Kelvin Gastelum will no longer throw down inside the Octagon after the former was struck down by illness.
The promotion announced the news Saturday, marking a sizable blow to the March 29 lineup at Arena CDMX.
It remains to be seen whether the UFC will reschedule the matchup for a later date. It was slated to serve as Gastelum’s return to middleweight after a failed stint back at 170 pounds, which most recently saw his win over Daniel Rodriguez marred by a weight miss.
Israel Adesanya’s recently gone on a rough patch in his MMA venture, including his knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov last week. But in a moment of lightness, he will be honored for putting on one of the greatest bouts in Octagon history as part of this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.
Adesanya’s interim middleweight title fight with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 will be inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week, the promotion announced during the UFC 312 pay-per-view.
The two put on an absolute war at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA, on that April 2019 night, with UFC CEO Dana White claiming in the immediate aftermath that it was one of the greatest fights he’s ever seen in his life.
Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum Announced For UFC Hall of Fame Class Of 2025
The fight was a back-and-forth affair, with plenty of moments from both men. Gastelum took many people by surprise when he rocked Adesanya with a head kick late in the fight. Adesanya, however, locked in and did plenty of damage during the final round, nearly prompting referee Marc Goddard to step in.
Adesanya ultimately won the interim title on a unanimous decision before going on to defeat Robert Whittaker later that year at UFC 243 to become undisputed UFC middleweight champion.
The fight joins The Ultimate Fighter Executive Producer Craig Piligian as the inductees announced thus far for the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025. More inductees are expected to be announced at the next couple of UFC pay-per-view events.
The UFC is set to return to Mexico in the first quarter of this year, and the promotion appears to be bringing a former title challenger with it in the form of Kelvin Gastelum.
It’s been a difficult few years for Gastelum (19-9, 1 NC). After going 2-5 across a seven-fight run that started with his memorable interim championship clash with Israel Adesanya, the 33-year-old most recently experienced a failed return to welterweight.
After being submitted by Sean Brady in late 2023, Gastelum did have his hand raised over Daniel Rodriguez. But owing to a weight miss in Saudi Arabia that left UFC CEO Dana White less than happy, his stock didn’t rise in victory.
Unsurprisingly, the Californian looks to have once again been forced to close the book on his 170-pound plans. And he seems close to being booked for a difficult welcome back to the 185-pound class.
Per MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, a clash between Gastelum and the highly touted Joe Pyfer (13-3) is in the works for the UFC Fight Night in Mexico on March 29.
After breaking through in a big way on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Pyfer began Octagon life on the front foot with three straight wins.
But after knocking out Alen Amedovski and Gerald Meerschaert and submitting Abdul Razak Alhassan, “Bodybagz” was unable to get past his toughest test to date, falling via decision to perennial contender Jack Hermansson in an Apex main event last February.
The addition of Gastelum vs. Pyfer would mark the third bout on the UFC Mexico lineup. Thus far, Edgar ChĂĄirez and Ronaldo RodrĂguez both have home country fights set, with the former facing CJ Vergara and the latter dueling Kevin Borjas.
As a veteran referee, Marc Goddard has been the third man in the Octagon for some of the most iconic UFC fights of all time.
He’s seen his fair share of show stealing knockouts, jaw dropping comebacks and epic encounters that fans will talk about for decades to come.
During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Goddard spoke about some of the most memorable fights that he has officiated.
Find any interview with the Brit talking about this specific question and he always gives the same answer, taking you back to one night in Atlanta, Georgia.
Marc Goddard Talks About When Israel Adesanya & Kelvin Gastelum Pushed Each Other To The Limit
At UFC 236, the co-main event of the evening was the highlight of the night even when it was followed by Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 2.
Israel Adesanya met Kelvin Gastelum with the interim middleweight title on the line and the pair produced an all-time classic.
This one will always stand out to Goddard when he looks back on all of the fights that he has played a part in, he said.
“Then number one is, every day of the week, twice on a Sunday, is Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum.
“You find one moment in your life when you think, ‘I’m not going to go away’. In this fight, you had two guys in the exact same moment that wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t believe what I was watching unfold in front of me. I remember that there’s a clip at the beginning of the fifth round and Israel’s looking across him saying, ‘I’m prepared to die.’ Now I didn’t, I’m not looking at this, I’d seen it afterwards but honestly mate, that fight when you got two fighters that went into the deepest, darkest depths of their soul and they went into the deepest, darkest waters imaginable or possible in a fight and I was right alongside them, standing three-foot away, witnessing this unfold.”
Goddard also said that the fight produced an emotional moment both on that night and when he watches the fight back, after seeing how far both men were able to push each other.
“As soon as I know they’re safe, I f****** run off with my head in hands and I won’t be ashamed to say, I’ve cried after that fight watching it back because it was ungodly what those guys did. It was ungodly.”
Middleweight fight between Kelvin Gastelum (@KelvinGastelum) and Nassourdine Imavov (@imavov1) has been added to UFC 273 on April 9, per sources. Big one for Kelvin, and a chance for Imavov to crack the Top 10. pic.twitter.com/RVCxnYr60X
Defeats to Darren Till, Jack Hermansson, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier since UFC 236 have left Gastelum with a 1-5 record in his last six Octagon outings. His sole victory in that period came against the unranked Ian Heinisch last February.
Imavov, meanwhile, is going in the opposite direction on the middleweight ladder. Whilst his upcoming opponent has slipped to #10 in the rankings, the Dagestan-born French fighter has risen into the top 15 thanks to back-to-back wins against Heinisch and Edmen Shahbzayan.
Against “The Golden Boy” at UFC 268 last November, the “Russian Sniper” established himself as a contender with a brutal TKO from the crucifix position.
WHAT. A. BATTLE. âïž
đ«đ· Nassourdine Imavov showing up and showing out tonight!
On April 9, Gastelum will be looking to return the win column and begin his ascent back to the top. Despite his veteran status in the promotion, the Californian is still only 30 and has plenty of time to resurrect his ambitions in the UFC.
For Imavov, who is five years Gastelum’s younger, this matchup represents the chance for him to break into the middleweight top 10 and take a big step further towards title contention, something the MMA Factory product will hope to welcome in with open arms at UFC 273.
Listed below are the fights expected to take place at UFC 273:
Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs. The Korean Zombie (featherweight title fight)
Aljamain Sterling (C) vs. Petr Yan (IC) (bantamweight unification title fight)
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov (middleweight)
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres (womenâs strawweight)
Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott (welterweight)
Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd (womenâs bantamweight)
Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker (featherweight)
Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 273, Kelvin Gastelum or Nassourdine Imavov?
#1 middleweight contender Robert Whittaker will go against Israel Adesanya in a rematch at UFC 271 this February to reclaim the championship. He knows firsthand what it is like to lose to “The Last Stylebender” and refuses to let it be his downfall.
Robert Whittaker (left) and Israel Adesanya / Photo Credit: Michael Dodge/EPA
Since the UFC 243 loss, the New Zealand-born fighter has been on a winning streak, including a win against Gastelum and the middleweight division’s #3-ranked fighter Jared Cannonier, who bested Gastelum by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 43.
In contrast, Kelvin Gastelum has experienced a setback after his loss to Israel Adesanya back in 2019 and questions his place in his current weight class.
“I don’t see him going back down to 170. He’s a thick dude. He hits like a ton of bricks as well. I don’t see him going down to 170. He’s just in that awkward spot that I think a lot of guys get in, where they find it hard, they’re coming up against the highest tier up at the top of the ladder, but they crush a lot of the dudes coming up onto the ladder. So he’s kind of getting caught in that gatekeeping sort of spot,” Whittaker said about Gastelum in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.
The middleweight division certainly is home to some incredible UFC talent such as Sean Strickland, Jack Hermansson, Derek Brunson, and, of course, Israel Adesanya. Every fighter is hungry to be the champion. And with only one win out of his last six fights, Kelvin Gastelum may have a long journey ahead.
But despite the defeats, “The Reaper” had nothing other than positive things to say about the #10 middleweight:
“I’ve got a lot of love for that guy, I really like him. I’ve got a lot of respect for him as well. He’s had a bit of a rough skid lately, just because he’s been fighting hard guys. He’s been fighting top-tier opponents. It is not easy… fighting, playing, and trying to advance up in the top five. It is hard. Everyone up there is the best in the world. Everyone up there could be the next champ. We’ve seen that with him. He’s been fighting the highest-quality opponents,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie.
Image Credit: Steve Marcus/Getty Images
Struggling to make weight caused Gastelum’s move up to the middleweight division in 2016. But following his Ultimate Fighter 17 win in 2013, Kelvin Gastelum sped through the welterweight rankings. Despite fewer losses at 170 and talks of hiring a dietician to help maintain his weight, we may see Gastelum in a welterweight bout in 2022.
With seven knockouts under his name, the veteran fighter possesses the potential to move back up in the rankings just like other fighters have done in the past, Whittaker believes.
“He’s my age, I think, so he’s got years to evolve and change his game, and to develop new skillsets. I see him developing himself and coming back with better versions of himself. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Kelvin Gastelum,” Whittaker continued.
