Kelvin Gastelum had high hopes that it would be him challenging Robert Whittaker for the UFC middleweight championship in 2019. And he was supposed to. He was all set to do exactly that at UFC 234. But with Robert Whittaker pulling out of the fight due to an emergency hernia surgery, all Gastelum could do was watch the man whom, unbeknownst to him at the time, would become his next opponent, Israel Adesanya.
At UFC 236, Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya would battle for the interim middleweight championship with Whittaker still sidelined, and what would ensue was a match for the ages, which remains in the forefront of “Fight of the Year” talks as of this writing. Israel Adesanya would emerge from the classic the victor, and Gastelum emerged with a whole new respect for him that carries over to his prediction for the impending bout between Adesanya and Robert Whittaker:
“It’s a hard one but Israel has my respect! He really stepped up when I couldn’t! (A mistake I will never let happen again.) and showed allot of heart and so I think he will pull it off and it will set up a rematch between him and I when I win my fight as well,” Gastelum predicted via Twitter.
Kelvin Gastelum would also issue a promising update on his health status, which reveals that he would be more than available should the UFC decide to select Gastelum to fight the winner:
“Hoping to be cleared to train 100% in the next couple weeks, so we can start negotiations for a top contender fight by the fall. I’m only 27 and I’m only getting better. Y’all thought last fight was good? ….y’all haven’t seen me at my best yet! #OnAmission4Gold,” Gastelum posted.
No date has yet been announced for the Robert Whittaker/Israel Adesanya bout.
Do you agree with Kelvin Gastelum’s prediction? And should he get a rematch with Israel Adesanya if Adesanya is in fact victorious over Robert Whittaker?
