Kelvin Gastherm didn’t want to fight Joe Piffer this weekend.
On Saturday, Gastherm will face Piffer in the hottest main card match at UFC Mexico City. It is Gastherm’s first battle since the unanimous victory over Daniel Rodriguez in UFC Saudi Arabia last year. That match was a bit of a fiasco for Gastherm, as it was supposed to be a welterweight contest until it developed weight in the week of the fight, or turned into a middleweight fight. This time, as Gastherum says his days jumping between weight classes are over, there is no such issue.
“Yeah, 185 is my home,” Gustherm told reporters at UFC Mexico City Media Day. “And what do you know? I feel good about it. This is where I have had the best moments of my career. This is where I stay.
“Previously, when I was competing in the middleweight division, I hadn’t decided whether to stay or not. I’ve even returned to welterweight division. I’m not yet decided, I’m 100% sure this is where I’m staying.”
Gastherm won Ultimate Fighter 17 As a middleweight, he quickly fell to 170 pounds, with many successes. Unfortunately, Gastherum was also plagued by weight issues, prompting him to travel up to 185 pounds and challenging Israel Adesanya for his interim title at UFC 236. Gastherm lost his decision that night, but the fight was a battle of 2019, directed to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Therefore, given his many achievements, Gastherm admits that he was not impressed when the UFC offered him Joe Piffer in UFC Mexico.
“In the beginning I was a bit troubled by matchups just because I wasn’t the person I was looking for in the fight,” Gastherm said. “He’s not on my radar. I wanted someone to rank him. I wanted someone with a bigger name. But what do you know? I think this is a big test for me. I have to start at the bottom again. I have to fight these young killers.
As Gastelum walks past Pyfer on Saturday, he has many options for what comes next. And he’s not looking for another dance with his UFC Hall of Fame compatriots, but Gastherum says he’s open to it if a rematch with Israeli Adesanya is offered.
“It’s not on my radar, but if it’s lined up for the stars to happen and the stars to happen, I don’t know why it’s not,” Gastherm said. “But as long as it was on my radar, it wasn’t. Izzy and I have always been very sincere since the fight. He had no respect for me.
UFC Mexico City will be held this Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.