Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kelvin Gastelum
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Handed second ban by USADA
Gastelum (knee) received a nine-month suspension for violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy in November, after his loss to Darren Till at UFC 244 in New York, Shaheen Al-Shatti of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Gastelum was previously handed a suspension for violating the anti-doping policy in 2017, making this his second such infraction. His period of ineligibility was reduced by five months due to successful completion of a drug treatment program, so he's already eligible to return to the octagon. However, Gastelum is still recovering from a full LCL tear sustained while training in January. The 28-year-old fortunately managed to avoid surgery, and he's targeting July as a tentative return date, when he hopes to book a rematch with Israel Adesanya.
Gastelum was previously handed a suspension for violating the anti-doping policy in 2017, making this his second such infraction. His period of ineligibility was reduced by five months due to successful completion of a drug treatment program, so he's already eligible to return to the octagon. However, Gastelum is still recovering from a full LCL tear sustained while training in January. The 28-year-old fortunately managed to avoid surgery, and he's targeting July as a tentative return date, when he hopes to book a rematch with Israel Adesanya.
Recovering from LCL injury
Gastelum suffered a full LCL tear while training in January, but he expects he'll be ready to return to the Octagon in July, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports. "No surgery needed, thankfully," Gastelum said, regarding his recovery from the injury. "Just been doing therapy on it and reconstructive therapy on it. It's about 85 or 90 percent there."
ANALYSIS
Coming off a November 2 loss to Darren Till at UFC 244 in New York, Gastelum quickly resumed training ahead of his next fight, but the injury has since disrupted his preparation. Fortunately for Gastelum, his ability to avoid surgery took a longer recovery timeline off the table, so he should be ready to fight again during the summer. Specifically, Gastelum is hoping to book a fight with Israel Adesanya in July, but it's unclear whether the UFC is actively targeting a rematch between the two, who previously faced one another at UFC 236 in Atlanta in April 2019.
Coming off a November 2 loss to Darren Till at UFC 244 in New York, Gastelum quickly resumed training ahead of his next fight, but the injury has since disrupted his preparation. Fortunately for Gastelum, his ability to avoid surgery took a longer recovery timeline off the table, so he should be ready to fight again during the summer. Specifically, Gastelum is hoping to book a fight with Israel Adesanya in July, but it's unclear whether the UFC is actively targeting a rematch between the two, who previously faced one another at UFC 236 in Atlanta in April 2019.
No-shows loss to Darren Till
Gastelum lost to Darren Till via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 28-29) at UFC 244 on Saturday in New York City.
ANALYSIS
The 30-27 scorecard for Gastelum is about as bad as it gets. This was one of the worst performances we have ever seen from Gastelum during the course of his six-plus years with the company. Looking out of sorts from the very start, Kelvin was unable to generate any consistent offense against the much bigger Till. It was a surprising development considering Gastelum has never had any issues handling bigger competition in the past. Kelvin's stock took a serious hit with the performance. There's no other way to say it. Even if this was nothing more than an off night, Gastelum has now lost back-to-back fights in a loaded 185-pound division. To say Kelvin needs to rebound his next time out is a monumental understatement.
The 30-27 scorecard for Gastelum is about as bad as it gets. This was one of the worst performances we have ever seen from Gastelum during the course of his six-plus years with the company. Looking out of sorts from the very start, Kelvin was unable to generate any consistent offense against the much bigger Till. It was a surprising development considering Gastelum has never had any issues handling bigger competition in the past. Kelvin's stock took a serious hit with the performance. There's no other way to say it. Even if this was nothing more than an off night, Gastelum has now lost back-to-back fights in a loaded 185-pound division. To say Kelvin needs to rebound his next time out is a monumental understatement.
Hits his mark at last minute
Despite some controversy Friday morning, Gastelum made weight for his scheduled fight with Darren Till and the matchup will go on as planned, MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Gastelum waited until the absolute last minute to hit the scales, but ended up successfully making weight at 184 pounds. It's not an event that came without controversy, however, as video of the weigh-in appears to show Gastelum leaning slightly on his striking coach, which is a violation of the weigh-in policy. The New York State Athletic Commission has since reviewed the video and determined that Gastelum's weight will stand but disciplinary action will follow if there is a sufficient amount of evidence that supports the fact that there was contact with another person during the weigh-in. Most importantly, the UFC 244 main event will remain intact, as Till was able to sort out his visa issues and make weight Friday morning as well. Gastelum currently sits as approximately a (-240) betting favorite for Saturday's co-main event.
Gastelum waited until the absolute last minute to hit the scales, but ended up successfully making weight at 184 pounds. It's not an event that came without controversy, however, as video of the weigh-in appears to show Gastelum leaning slightly on his striking coach, which is a violation of the weigh-in policy. The New York State Athletic Commission has since reviewed the video and determined that Gastelum's weight will stand but disciplinary action will follow if there is a sufficient amount of evidence that supports the fact that there was contact with another person during the weigh-in. Most importantly, the UFC 244 main event will remain intact, as Till was able to sort out his visa issues and make weight Friday morning as well. Gastelum currently sits as approximately a (-240) betting favorite for Saturday's co-main event.
Won't fight replacement
Gastelum stated Wednesday he will not fight Jared Cannonier on short notice if Darren Till is unable to make it to New York due to visa issues, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Gastelum currently sits as a betting favorite of approximately (-250) for his Saturday clash with Darren Till, and while the fight isn't supposed to be in any real danger just yet, it is a bit concerning that the UFC had a replacement fight lined up in case of emergency. Of course, Gastelum has no intention of fighting a dangerous opponent he did not prepare for on less than a week's notice, and while that won't please UFC brass, few can blame him given the circumstances. Till is scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday in time for weigh-ins, and that's what the promotion is counting on if it intends to keep its co-main event intact.
Gastelum currently sits as a betting favorite of approximately (-250) for his Saturday clash with Darren Till, and while the fight isn't supposed to be in any real danger just yet, it is a bit concerning that the UFC had a replacement fight lined up in case of emergency. Of course, Gastelum has no intention of fighting a dangerous opponent he did not prepare for on less than a week's notice, and while that won't please UFC brass, few can blame him given the circumstances. Till is scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday in time for weigh-ins, and that's what the promotion is counting on if it intends to keep its co-main event intact.