Kelvin Gastelum avoids surgery, aims for slot on UFC’s Mexican debut

“The Ultimate Fighter 17? winner Kelvin Gastelum won’t fight again until next year, but he’ll also avoid the lengthy delay a surgery would have brought and is instead aiming for return at the UFC’s planned Mexico debut.

“I’m hoping to return in maybe March or April,” Gastelum told MMAjunkie. “I know that they’re trying to hold a huge event in Mexico City, so that’s what I’m aiming for. They’re saying March or April, so that’s when I’m hoping to return and fight down in Mexico. That’s going to be huge.”

The 22-year-old Gastelum (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was a surprise winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” downing Uriah Hall in finals of the middleweight tournament to earn a UFC contract. He promptly dropped to 170 pounds and submitted Brian Melancon at August’s UFC Fight Night 27 event.

Gastelum was expected to face Court McGee at next month’s UFC on FOX 9, but an injury forced him to withdraw from the matchup.

“After my fight in Indianapolis, I got a call from Firas Zahabi, Georges St-Pierre’s head coach, and he was like, ‘Georges wants you to come up an train in Montreal and help him prepare for Johny Hendricks,’” Gastelum said. “I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ I got to train with Georges.

“I was in Montreal for a couple weeks, and one of the last days of sparring, I was sparring with Rory MacDonald, and I checked a kick, but all of a sudden I felt my knee get real weak. I knew I had to stop. I thought it was a pinched nerve at first.”

Gastelum came back to the U.S. to get the joint evaluated, where he learned the extend of the damage.

“The doctor gave me good news and bad news,” Gastelum said. “He said, ‘The bad news is you have a torn PCL and you might not be able to fight Dec. 14. The good news is you don’t need any surgery.’

“I have to wear a knee brace for the next six weeks, so I had to pull out of this fight and just rehab my knee.”

Gastelum is staying busy during his time out of the cage, working with both a physiotherapist to rebuild his knee as well as a sports psychologist to improve his mental game.

“I’m just trying to make the best of it,” Gastelum said. “Even though I can’t really work out, I’m keeping the most important muscle real sharp, the mind.”

Gastelum, who lives in Arizona, said a spring return is likely. And with his Mexican heritage, Gastelum said an appearance at the UFC’s long-rumored Mexican debut would serve as a perfect target date. He even has an opponent in mind, but he’s keeping that a secret.

“I’ve got somebody in mind, but I’m not going to be calling anybody out or anything,” Gastelum said. “Hopefully Joe Silva agrees with my idea. I’m not going to say who, but yeah, I’ve got somebody in mind.”

And so the undefeated Gastelum will return next year and look to keep his momentum rolling. Even though it’s a down time for the “TUF 18? winner, he was motivated by the epic clash between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks at this past weekend’s UFC 167 event and looks forward to proving he belongs among the welterweight division’s elite.

“I will be back and better than ever,” Gastelum said. “I’m working to become the next welterweight champion. After what I saw on Saturday, I know what I need to do. I saw holes in other people’s games at the top of the list in my division, and I’m coming for all of them.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.