Ahead of TUF 17 Finale, Kelvin Gastelum tiring of Uriah Hall hype train

LAS VEGAS – Kelvin Gastelum (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has nothing against Uriah Hall (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). In fact, he’s actually quite fond of his Team Sonnen teammate. But Gastelum admits he’s getting sick and tired of listening to the hype.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Gastelum told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I mean, I’m comfortable taking the role (of underdog); I’ve proven people wrong over and over again. But I’m kind of tired of hearing the Uriah Hall hype train.”

Gastelum and Hall meet in the co-feature of Saturday night’s The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, where they’ll compete for “TUF 17's” middleweight tournament title. The card takes place at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center, and the night’s main card, including Gastelum vs. Hall airs on FX.

Hall destroyed his opponents on the way to the final, sending Dylan Andrews, Robert “Bubba” McDaniel, Adam Cella and Andy Enz to the hospital to nurse their wounds after running into a striking machine. Meanwhile, Gastelum was a perennial underdog who pulled off a series of upsets by out-grappling his foes.

Gastelum said he was impressed by Hall’s highlight-reel finishes but feels he just may have the right skillset to pull off one more unexpected win.

“I like Uriah,” Gastelum said. “Uriah is a cool guy. We had a great friendship, and I have nothing bad to say about him. He’s a great guy.

“He’s a striker. My strength is in the ground game. That’s his weakness. He’s not bad at it, but still, it’s my strong point. His is striking. It’s kind of an original matchup: striker vs. grappler.”

Oddsmakers don’t necessarily like Gastelum’s chances, with Hall checking in as more than a 3-to-1 favorite. But the 21-year-old Arizonan hasn’t listened to the doubters yet, and he’s not about to start now.

“I feel it’s been underestimated, but that’s fine,” Gastelum said. “I’m ready to prove people wrong again.

“Uriah is real talented, and I hope he does well. But I have plans for myself, and I’m going to take care of business.”

There’s certainly no pressure on Gastelum, who wasn’t expected by many to make it this far. If anything, it’s Hall who has to deal with heightened expectations, as there some MMA observers who believe he’s already championship material. UFC President Dana White even said Hall was the “most feared” fighter to ever compete on the promotion’s long-running reality competition series.

In short, Hall is expected to win. Gastelum is not, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, derailing a hype train would be a nice way to make an official UFC debut.

“I love proving people wrong – especially in this case,” Gastelum said. “I’m the heavy underdog, and he’s the heavy favorite. It’ll be good to know that I proved people wrong.”

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.