The final stretch is here for Kelvin Gastelum — and another UFC contract is far from guaranteed.
The former interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight title challenger recently revealed that he has just one fight remaining on his current deal. Gastelum believes the promotion wants to re-sign him, but only if he can deliver a much-needed victory in his next Octagon appearance.
“I have one fight left on my contract, man,” Gastelum said in a recent interview. “We want to renew — this next
fight is very important. I gotta win this fight. They want to renew my contract.”
In other words, Gastelum believes the interest is there, but his performance in his final contracted fight could ultimately determine whether UFC follows through with another offer. Even if he does secure another deal, however, the 35-year-old doesn’t expect to be fighting much longer.
“I think after I renew and I complete that contract, I’m going to ride off into my own sunset,” Gastelum said. “I got a few good ones left in the chamber, but I know the end is coming soon.
“Until that happens, I’ll tell you what: I still believe I’m one of the best fighters in the world, and I know I can compete with the best of them,” Gastelum continued. “I don’t just say it to say it. I say it because I truly mean it. A lot of that competition is still in me; I just haven’t been able to display it. The last few years have not gone the way I wanted them to.”
Gastelum’s recent results certainly haven’t strengthened his negotiating position. He has alternated wins and losses in six consecutive appearances dating back to 2023 and most recently suffered a first-round submission loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 327 (watch highlights).
His previous win over Dustin Stoltzfus also came with another weight-cutting controversy. Gastelum weighed 191 pounds — five pounds above the Middleweight limit — and forfeited 35 percent of his purse.
One year earlier, Gastelum’s Welterweight fight against Daniel Rodriguez was moved to Middleweight at the last minute after he arrived in Saudi Arabia unable to make 170 pounds. UFC CEO Dana White publicly called the situation “extremely disappointing.”
Gastelum was then scheduled to fight Yousri Belgaroui at Noche UFC this past September but withdrew for an undisclosed injury.
No opponent has been announced for Gastelum’s final contracted appearance. Whenever it happens, the longtime veteran may be fighting for much more than another paycheck — he could be fighting to remain in UFC.
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