Kelvin Gastelum’s UFC career may be in jeopardy after missing weight for the fifth time, this time by a career-high margin. The former middleweight title contender weighed in at 191lb for his fight at Noche UFC, five pounds over the extended middleweight limit of 186lb. This marks his first miss at 186lb and the heaviest weigh-in of his UFC career.
Gastelum, scheduled to fight Dustin Stoltzfus, arrived at the scales just before the two-hour weigh-in window closed and did not strip down for the official weigh-in, posing confidently at 191lb. The fighter has a history of missing weight, previously starting his UFC career at welterweight before moving divisions multiple times due to size concerns and weigh-in issues.
For this bout, Gastelum has been fined 35% of his purse. Despite the fight reportedly going ahead, UFC fans have voiced outrage, calling on Dana White to cut the fighter from the promotion, citing repeated weight issues as a serious problem.
Gastelum’s struggles with weight have been ongoing: he missed weight once each year from 2014 to 2016, had issues at welterweight and middleweight, and most recently weighed in over the limit for a fight with Daniel Rodriguez last year. The UFC previously released Bryan Battle over a similar issue, putting Gastelum’s status under the promotion in question.
Fans and analysts now await Dana White’s decision, as Gastelum’s repeated weight misses have made his future in the UFC uncertain.
