Kelvin Gastelum has come to believe that arriving at his ideal future destination requires him to live fully in the present.
For the first time in his professional career, Kelvin Gastelum is on a three-fight losing streak. At only 29 years of age and considering the level of talent the losses have come against, it’s doubtful that his UFC run is in danger, even with a loss to #15-ranked Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. Still, for someone who has won for the majority of his career, one could imagine the stress he could feel being in such unchartered territory. But Gastelum says he hasn’t paid his current skid any mind ahead of his next fight.
“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it much,” Gastelum said at a pre-fight news conference. “I’ve just been concentrating on this fight and concentrating on Ian Heinisch and being more present – being more aware and more present into who Ian Heinisch is. That’s who I’m focused on.”
Kelvin Gastelum Identifies Common Issue Behind Recent Losses
With 10 years as a professional under his belt, most of which coming in the premeire MMA organization in the world, Kelvin Gastelum could be considered to be a “young veteran,” if you will. This combination of youth and experience lends Gastelum to be keen to his continued growth and learning as a fighter. And through this losing streak, Gastelum has learned that it was his failure to have tunnel vision that played a large role in his current skid.
“For my past two fights, I’ve maybe gotten away from that a little bit,” Gastelum said. “I’ve thought about my loss. After Israel, I wanted to get back on the horse and fight Darren Till. I knew that if I won, it might’ve propelled me to where I wanted to be. (It was) the same thing with the Jack Hermansson fight. I knew I needed to get back on a winning streak. I was just focused on more ahead than actually being present and focusing on my actual opponent.”
One thing that has not changed with Kelvin Gastelum is his confidence. And you can bet that he’ll still be bringing that with him to the cage at UFC 258 when he tangles with Ian Heinisch.
“Not for a second (have I doubted myself),” Gastelum said. “I know who I am, and I know how good I can be. I’m excited to show that on Saturday.”
UFC 258 takes place Saturday, February 13, 2021 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will stream exclusively on ESPN+.
Who do you think will emerge victorious at UFC 258: Kelvin Gastelum or Ian Heinisch?
