Kelvin Gastelum Returns to Middleweight, Faces Nate Marquardt at UFC 188
Kelvin Gastelum is returning to the weight at which he won “TUF
17.” | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
After twice missing weight for welterweight bouts, Kelvin Gastelum is headed back up the scale.
Ultimate Fighting Championship officials Tuesday announced that Gastelum will square off against Nate Marquardt in a 185-pound matchup at UFC 188 “Velasquez vs. Werdum.” The pay-per-view event takes place June 13 in Mexico City and will be headlined by a UFC heavyweight title unification bout between champion Cain Velasquez and interim titleholder Fabricio Werdum.
Gastelum, who won “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 as a middleweight, failed to make the 170-pound limit in two of his five appearances as a welterweight. The 23-year-old suffered his first loss at UFC 183 in January, dropping a split decision to Tyron Woodley in a bout for which Gastelum weighed in at 180 pounds. After the event, UFC President Dana White stated that Gastelum would be forced to change weight classes.
A former UFC middleweight title contender and Strikeforce welterweight champion, Marquardt has lost four of his last five outings. The Wyoming native’s lone win in that stretch came last June, when he submitted James Te Huna with a first-round armbar. Most recently, “Nate the Great” lost a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at UFC 182 in January.
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