Kelvin Gastelum: One Fight Left — And I Have To Win It
Kelvin Gastelum is down to the last fight on his UFC contract — win it, and the UFC renews him; lose it, and there may be no next deal at all.
Kelvin Gastelum is down to the last fight on his UFC contract. And he knows exactly what it is worth.
Win it, and the UFC renews him. Lose it, and there may be no next deal at all.
"I have one fight left on my contract, man," Gastelum said in a recent interview. "We want to renew — this next fight is very important. I gotta win this fight. They want to renew my contract."
That is his reading of it: the interest is there, but the offer follows the result. His performance in that final contracted fight decides whether the UFC follows through.
Even if the new deal comes, the 35-year-old former interim middleweight title challenger does not see himself fighting much longer.
"I think after I renew and I complete that contract, I'm going to ride off into my own sunset," Gastelum said. "I got a few good ones left in the chamber, but I know the end is coming soon."
He is not done believing, though.
"Until that happens, I'll tell you what: I still believe I'm one of the best fighters in the world, and I know I can compete with the best of them," Gastelum said. "I don't just say it to say it. I say it because I truly mean it."
The recent record has not helped his case. Gastelum has alternated wins and losses in six straight appearances dating back to 2023. Most recently, Vicente Luque submitted him in the first round at UFC 327.
He was then scheduled to face Yousri Belgaroui at Noche UFC this past September. He withdrew with an undisclosed injury.
No opponent has been announced for his final contracted fight. Whenever it happens, Gastelum will not just be fighting for another paycheck. He will be fighting to stay in the UFC.
