Dana White Shuts Down Kelvin Gastelum's Welterweight Return

Kelvin Gastelum was impressive at UFC 188, roughing up former UFC title contender and former Strikeforce champ Nate Marquardt. Unfortunately, while he was hoping that the fight with Marquardt would be a one-night stand at middleweight, UFC President Dana White insisted he was at 185 pounds to stay.

"I honestly do not believe he can make 170," said White at the UFC 188 post-fight press conference (via MMAJunkie.com). "He has done nothing to prove he can make 170 pounds, and when he doesn’t make 170 pounds, it’s dangerous and it screws a lot of things up around here."

After winning The Ultimate Fighter season 17, Gastelum dropped down to welterweight and quickly established himself as a high-level talent, posting four wins in a row over the likes of Rick Story and Jake Ellenberger. Unfortunately, Gastelum consistently struggled to make the 170-pound weight limit, repeatedly needing do-overs at the scales or outright missing weight.

The last straw came at UFC 183 when Gastelum came in 10 pounds heavy for a fight with Tyron Woodley. While Woodley agreed to face a near-middleweight, Gastelum still came up short on the scorecards, dropping a split decision.

The UFC is, of course, somewhat wise to keep Gastelum away from the welterweight division. Had Gastelum received one more point on the judges' scorecards, he would have forced his way into the welterweight title picture, putting the UFC in a risky position where it either has to deny him a title shot or roll the dice on him being able to make 170 pounds.

The promotion went through a similar issue with John Lineker, who missed weight in four of his eight flyweight bouts but successfully knocked off potential contenders like Yasuhiro Urushitani and Ian McCall out of the title running. That said, Henry Cejudo was also forced to take a bantamweight fight after pulling out of UFC 177, but he returned to flyweight immediately after.

White cracked the door open for a potential return to 170-pounds, but was highly critical of the idea. "He’s going to have to get serious and get a nutritionist," he said. "He had to cut to make 185, and he came in right on the nose, so I am the furthest from confident that he is capable of making 170."

Gastelum, for his part, seemed accepting (but visibly unenthusiastic) about staying at 185 pounds for the time being, saying that "actions speak louder than words. Now that he said I need to prove it, I am going to prove it."

It is unclear what happens with Gastelum from here, but it is almost certain that he will remain a middleweight for the time being. Look for a fight announcement for Gastelum over the coming months.