Kelvin Gastelum isn’t oblivious to the pressures that Chris Weidman is facing right now.
After being an undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion with a record of 13-0, Weidman lost his title and dropped three straight bouts. He is facing a fourth consecutive loss, which would be a huge fall from grace.
Despite “All American’s” setbacks, Gastelum told Flo Combat that his UFC on FOX 25 bout on July 22 with Weidman is significant:
“It feels super good to get a name like [Chris] Weidman because I wanted a big fight after Anderson Silva turned it down. He was offered the fight but I was told he refused to take the fight in New York so they called Chris Weidman. Now we are fighting in his backyard and I’m happy. I was hoping I’d get a big name because I want to continue rising up the rankings as always.”
Gastelum may be feeling as if it’s his fight to lose as Weidman’s back is against the wall.
“It’s absolutely something I consider. Just try to put yourself in his shoes. He’s not only fighting for his job, he’s fighting for his family and it’s in his own backyard. He’s fighting for something much bigger than just a W that night and I feel like all the pressure is going to be on him.”
