FOX Sports analyst Yves Edwards says Kelvin Gastelum is 'a quality guy,' unsure about 185 longterm

Kelvin Gastelum is trying to settle in as a UFC middleweight, though it’s not without at least one skeptic.

Gastelum (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who faces Vitor Belfort (25-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) in the main event of tonight’s UFC Fight Night 106 show, has experienced his share of weight-cutting troubles during his UFC career. Since winning “The Ultimate Fighter 17” in 2013 as a middleweight, Gastelum has gone back and forth between fighting at 185 and 170 pounds.

Making 170 pounds has proven to be difficult, with Gastelum missing weight three times, including in January 2015 when he came into his UFC 183 fight against Tyron Woodley 10 pounds over.

Gastelum enters his bout against Belfort – which headlines the FS1-televised event at Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil – coming off a third-round TKO victory over Tim Kennedy in a middleweight bout at UFC 206. Gastelum looked impressive.

In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio, UFC lightweight and FOX analyst Yves Edwards had good things to say about Gastelum.

“He’s come a long way since ‘The Ultimate Fighter,'” said Yves, who serves as analyst tonight on FS1. “He’s improved a lot of his skill set. He’s a quality guy, and getting a win over Vitor would be huge on his resume.”

But while Edwards likes what he’s seen from Gastelum of late, Edwards said he doesn’t think 185 should be his longterm plan.

“I think that he should be a welterweight. He’s a real welterweight,” Edwards said. “I think the height disadvantage and also the body strength at middleweight, it’s going to be tough. I see him having a problem with guys like Luke Rockhold or Yoel Romero or (Ronaldo) Souza. I think those guys give him a problem at 185, and if you’re not going to be the best, and you can make the other weight class, I think that’s where you should be.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 106, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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