Noche UFC: Kelvin Gastelum Misses Weight, Stoltzfus Awaits
At the official Noche UFC weigh-ins, Kelvin Gastelum missed weight by five pounds for his middleweight bout against Dusko Todorovic. Gastelum weighed in at 191 pounds, exceeding the 186-pound limit. The event is set to take place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The updated opponent for Gastelum is Dustin Stoltzfus.
Gastelum's Weight Struggles
This marks the fourth time in Gastelum's UFC career that he has failed to make weight. A previous weight miss led to the cancellation of a scheduled bout against Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 in November 2016. This is the first time he has missed weight for a middleweight fight. The bout's status and potential purse forfeiture are currently unknown.
Noche UFC Weigh-in Results
| Main Card (ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET) | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva | 146 vs. 145.5 |
| Rob Font vs. David Martinez | 135 vs. 135.5 |
| Rafa Garcia vs. Jared Gordon | 155.5 vs. 156 |
| Kelvin Gastelum (191)* vs. Dustin Stoltzfus | 191* vs 185.5 |
| Alexander Hernandez vs. Diego Ferreira | 155.5 vs. 156 |
| Santiago Luna vs. Quang Le | 136 vs. 136 |
| Prelims (ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET) | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Jose Daniel Medina vs. Dusko Todorovic | 186 vs. 186 |
| Claudio Puelles vs. Joaquim Silva | 156 vs. 156 |
| Tatiana Suarez vs. Amanda Lemos | 115.5 vs. 116 |
| Jesus Aguilar vs. Luis Gurule | 126 vs. 125.5 |
| Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas | 185.5 vs. 186 |
| Alessandro Costa vs. Alden Coria | 125.5 vs. 126 |
| Montserrat Rendon vs. Alice Pereira | 136 vs. 136 |
| Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Daniil Donchenko | 170.5 vs. 171 |
*missed weight
Dustin Stoltzfus: 'It's Now Or Never'
Dustin Stoltzfus expressed a sense of urgency heading into his fight against Kelvin Gastelum at Noche UFC. Stoltzfus, with a 3-6 record in the UFC, acknowledged his UFC run hasn't gone as planned. He stated, "I’d be lying if I said it’s gone the way I wanted or even the way it could have gone. In a lot of ways, it’s been a bit of a disappointment."
Stoltzfus emphasized that he feels in his prime, both skill-wise and mentally, and is focused on moving forward. He added, "It’s hard when you come in with a long win streak (and start losing), especially for me — it really gave me a hit to my confidence, and it took me a while to build it back up."
Kelvin Gastelum's Drive for a World Title
In an interview, Kelvin Gastelum stated that his primary motivation remains winning a world title. Reflecting on his career, Gastelum said, "I still haven’t won a world title, and that’s what drives me. If I didn’t believe I could, I wouldn’t still be here." He also expressed pride in his fight against Israel Adesanya, now immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Regarding his fight against Dustin Stoltzfus, Gastelum said, "It’s extremely important. This is a fight I need to win. I need to build momentum again, and this win is crucial to get that going." He is training alongside Olympic wrestler Pat Downey, focusing on defensive grappling.
Gastelum shared that fighting on a Noche UFC card is particularly meaningful to him, given his Mexican heritage. He also expressed a desire to ease off the pressure and enjoy the fight, believing that he performs best when having fun.
