Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum almost did not try out for TUF

gastelum fight hub tv

By Jorge Hernandez

This past weekend’s man of the hour was Kelvin Gastelum, who managed to bulldoze through the hype of Uriah Hall with a heavy wrestling attack. Gastelum speaks about how he originally thought of hanging up the gloves prior to his appearance on Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 17.

“I was sitting in my office one day and seen the ad… I was like “I guess I’m gonna go try out, see what happens’ … Because before that I was struggling. I was about ready to quit MMA for a while and just get another job, I wasn’t doing so well financially.”

Well, thankfully he decided to try out, because he is now sporting a custom made Harley Davidson motorbike and a six-figure contract.

Gastelum also eyes a future in a lower division and it would be beneficial for him — he does not have the most imposing frame at only 5’9″ and 185 lbs, though controlling his much larger opponents with relative ease nonetheless. Kelvin will be a welcome addition to the Welterweight division with only one Contender left that Georges St. Pierre has not already defeated — Johny Hendricks.

The TUF winner also feels Uriah Hall’s hype was mostly just fear in Hall’s opponents’ eyes. Saying they were ‘scared’ of Uriah’s dangerous knockout power. While UFC President Dana White assumes Uriah Hall “folded” (link article below)
https://www.fighthubtv.com/mma/dana-white-thinks-uriah-hall-folded-but-uriah-says-he-was-just-trying-to-have-some-fun/

Gastelum is comparable to Diego Sanchez, but at only 21 years old — I think this dude is already better than that! There’s no question the kid does not let the nerves get to him and keeps his composure under the pressure of being under the bright lights.