Kelvin Gastelum beat up a steering wheel when Matt Brown was scratched from fight

UFC welterweight Kelvin Gastelum admits he needed to work himself up for a fight against short-notice replacement Neil Magny at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 78.

When Gastelum’s (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) original opponent, Matt Brown, withdrew due to injury, he reacted angrily to the loss of what might have been a signature win.

“I remember driving home from practice, and I got the text from (UFC matchmaker) Joe (Silva), and I threw my phone and started beating the crap out of my steering wheel, and I was pretty upset.”

Then Gastelum had some time to think about the switch, and eventually, he came to terms with it.

“I don’t have to rush anything in my career right now,” he said. “I was ready for anybody in the world, but I don’t have to rush anything.”

Indeed, at 24, Gastelum should have many more years of UFC competition. Already, he’s found great success since his winning turn on “The Ultimate Fighter 17, racking up five straight wins before a setback to top contender Tyron Woodley.

In his previous bout, Gastelum returned to the win column with a TKO of onetime middleweight contender Nate Marquardt. In Magny (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC), he faces a fighter who’s also looking to rebuild momentum after a seven-fight win streak.

Magny might not have the name that the popular Brown does, but Gastelum said he’s ready to do his job.

Check out the above video to get the “TUF” winner’s thoughts on weight and the short-notice fight.

For more on UFC Fight Night 78, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.