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Just yesterday, Kelvin Gastelum called for a fight against Edmen Shahbazyan via Twitter, but it seems Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers had other plans.
According to ESPN, Gastelum has been booked to throw hands against Ian Heinisch at an upcoming UFC “Fight Night” event, which is currently set to go down on Jan. 30, 2021, though no exact location has been confirmed.
Gastelum will look to end his three-fight skid — the longest of his career — which includes a lightning quick defeat at the hands of Jack Hermansson this past summer. Indeed, things have really gone downhill for the former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner after coming up short in his bid to win the interim Middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 236.
Heinisch, meanwhile, was set to face Brendan Allen last week at UFC Vegas 13 but was forced out of the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test. The bruising Middleweight is coming off a knockout victory over Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 250 this past June.
The ESPN+-streamed event will also feature a Welterweight scrap between Carlos Condit and Matt Brown, while Roxanne Modafferi vs. Viviane Araujo battle it out in women’s Flyweight action.