“I made some radical changes”- Kelvin Gastelum seeks a fresh start to his career at Fight Ready
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Kelvin Gastelum
Most UFC fans probably remember Kelvin Gastelum for his all-out war against Israel Adesanya. Izzy used his height and reach advantage to establish dominance however Kelvin countered with his power. It was a close bout that could have gone either way till the 5th round.
In the final round, Izzy punched and kicked his way to another success, and after the Adesanya fight, Kelvin went on to fight more elite opposition. Before that fight against Adesanya, Kelvin had beaten Michael “The Count” Bisping, Uriah Hall, and Johnny Hendricks, all of whom are top-level opposition in their own right.
However, in his next 5 fights, he holds a 1-4 record. This is why it comes as no surprise that he is throwing out the manual and changing gyms to reignite his career. Speaking to MMA Junkie, he said: “I made some radical changes by coming out here to Fight Ready and coming out here to Arizona, and you know, changing my whole environment, changing where I live and getting real uncomfortable.”
His only win in his last six fights came against unranked middleweight Ian Heinisch. And most recently, Gastelum had to pull out of his bout against Dricus Du Plessis due to an undisclosed injury. Considering all this, it’s no wonder that the 31-year-old is changing his gym and training regimen. But it remains to be seen whether the problem is the training or something else entirely. Though with his current record, the only way to go is up.
Who will be Kelvin Gastelum’s next fight as he attempts to improve his record?
As he looks to start anew, Gastelum will be looking to channel some of the spirits he had in the fights against Bisping, Adesanya, or Hall. As his comeback is imminent, Gastelum needs a fight to throw his hat back into the ring. In September, La Fleur had reported that Kelvin Gastelum’s next fight will be against MMA Factory prospect Nassourdine Imavov in another attempt at their failed bout.
Nassourdine Imavov should be considered dangerous competition for Gastelum. Imavov fights out of MMA Factory which boasts prospects like Francis Ngannou and Cirryl Gane. Imavov is a real contender in the middleweight division, with a big frame and 75″ reach. And being young, he is yet to hit his prime.
While it is only logical to make this fight, Gastelum seems the underdog with a 5″ reach advantage and Imavov being almost half a foot taller than him. Imavov is also 15-3, a record better than Kelvin’s. However, Gastelum has shown before that he can negate an opponent’s reach and height advantage with his power and volume. It remains to be seen how this new Gastelum’s comeback goes, however fans can only hope to see that explosiveness and fighting spirit again.
Also Read: “Suck my d***”- Paulo Costa finally reveals why he lost the title fight against Israel Adesanya
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