UFC welterweight contender Kelvin Gastelum missed weight for the first time in his career last month, weighing in at 2.75lbs over the 170lb limit for his bout against Sweden’s Nico Musoke at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs Stephens. Gastelum accepted the pay cut and went on to claim a unanimous decision victory, maintaining his undefeated record that now stands at 9-0.
Having previously worked with renown nutritionist and weight cutting expert Mike Dolce, Gastelum chose to prepare for the Musoke fight without Dolce’s assistance, and explained that the costs were too high. However, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner has since hired Dolce’s expertise once again following the blip.
As a close friend of Gastelum, British middleweight Luke Barnatt (pictured) spoke to the media in Dublin, Ireland during the build up to UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs Brandao. While the act of missing weight has a certain stigma attached to it, Barnatt (8-1) explained that his TUF 17 team mate did not miss weight due to being irresponsible, but that he lacks structure in life right now, despite boasting an unblemished fight record that would otherwise suggest that everything is running smoothly. Barnatt revealed that Gastelum manages himself, juggling the different aspects of being a well established fighter at just 22-years-old, from training and travelling for fight camps, to taking part in media appearances, etc. Barnatt suggested that Gastelum needs to find good management that can look after him and bring order to his life as a fighter in the UFC.
Photo by Mark Blundell
