Kelvin Gastelum admits that he was dealing with personal issues in preparation for his last two outings.
Gastelum had a thrilling interim UFC title bout against Israel Adesanya back in April 2019. Gastelum lost the bout via unanimous decision. He followed that up with a split decision loss to Darren Till in Nov. 2019. For many, this was a disappointing follow-up to the instant classic he had with Adesanya.
Kelvin Gastelum Battled Personal Demons, Says It’s Behind Him
Gastelum spoke to reporters during a media scrum ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 30. The seventh-ranked UFC middleweight recalled going through personal issues that he has now put in the past (h/t MMAJunkie).
“It was just some personal stuff going on behind the scenes in my life, and we eliminated that aspect, and I feel like a resurgence in me, and I really enjoyed the process for this camp, which really hasn’t been the case in the past. And waking up and training and dieting and losing the weight – I enjoyed every single day of this process, and so I’m in a good place mentally, physically. I’m ready to go.”
Gastelum is set to collide with Jack Hermansson in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 30. The 185-pound scrap will take place on July 18 and it’ll be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Gastelum is in search of his first victory since May 2018.
Some believe that this is a crossroads fight for Gastelum. UFC president Dana White does not subscribe to that belief. During his own media scrum, the UFC boss praised Gastelum’s fighting style. He also expressed his belief that even if he loses on Saturday night, Gastelum will remain in the top 10 middleweight rankings.
MMA News will be providing live coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 30 this weekend. Join us for live results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits.
