Gastelum on middleweight: I don't think I can beat Weidman, Rockhold or 'Jacare'

MEXICO CITY – It wasn’t Kevin Gastelum’s choice to fight at middleweight – he was forced into the division.

Now, the former welterweight fighter is trying to make the best of things. But you won’t hear him making any grand proclamations about his prospects at 185 pounds.

Truth be told, he’s just waiting to get back to his former division.

“I think I can either be a mediocre middleweight, or I can be the welterweight champion,” Gastelum (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who faces Nate Marquardt (33-14-2 MMA, 11-7 MMA) at UFC 188, told MMAjunkie. “And I want to be the welterweight champion.”

First, he needs to prove he can meet the requirements of fighting at 170 pounds, which on two occasions he hasn’t been able to do. After winning “The Ultimate Fighter 17” as a middleweight, he dropped to welterweight and rattled off two wins. But in the second, he struggled mightily to make weight, and in his next bout, he missed the limit by almost two pounds.

In his previous appearance, which came against Tyron Woodley in a bout with potential title implications, Gastelum was over by a huge measure, coming in four pounds heavy. As a result, UFC President Dana White ordered him back to middleweight.

So Gastelum is following orders. Of course, he has little other choice unless he wants to fight in another promotion. He faces veteran Marquardt, a onetime middleweight contender who’s struggled to find traction as a welterweight and is now back at 185 pounds. The two meet on the pay-per-view main card of Saturday’s event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City.

“TUF” winner Gastelum has a very specific goal for the fight.

“I plan on going back (to welterweight) and getting in the boss’ good graces after this Saturday night,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t think I can beat (champ Chris) Weidman, or (Luke) Rockhold or (Ronald) ‘Jacare’ (Souza). Those guys are beasts.

“I think my skill level matches up pretty well with all of them. But I’m at a height disadvantage, a reach disadvantage, and a strength disadvantage.”

Although Gastelum said he is “worried” about Marquardt’s experience. And yet, his recent loss motivated him to put forth his best effort in the UFC’s octagon.

He hopes that’s enough to get another chance at welterweight.

For complete coverage of UFC 188, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.