Former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Kelvin Gastelum will look to continue his rise up the middleweight rankings tomorrow night (May 12, 2018), as he’s set to take on former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the co-main event of UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Recently speaking on his opponent, Gastelum implied that him and Souza are cordial with each other, but he confirmed that when the cage door closes it will be all business:
“We’re both professionals – there’s nothing to it,” Gastelum told MMAjunkie at a recent media day. “As soon as he saw me, he came up to me and shook my hand and shook (coach) Rafael (Cordeiro’s) hand. We’re professionals. We know how to put those feelings of friendship aside, and when it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight. It’s just business.”
And Gastelum, who’s coming off of a vicious first-round knockout victory over former UFC champion Michael Bisping last November in Shanghai, China, certainly appears to be focused on his bout against “Jacare”, as he made it clear that he’ll be looking to make a statement:
“I feel like I need to beat him and make a statement,” Gastelum said. “If I don’t make a statement, I don’t think I’ll be able to contend for the title next. But if I go in there and knock him out in the first round, then I have no doubt that the next fight will be for the title.”
With middleweight champion Robert Whittaker set to put his strap on the line in a rematch against Yoel Romero on June 9 at UFC 225 in Chicago, Gastelum could certainly put himself in the running for the next title shot with an impressive victory over Souza.
And for the 26-year-old, holding the belt would mean ‘more than being a UFC champion’:
“It means more than being a UFC champion – it means being a champion in life,” he said. “I’ve had to overcome a lot of obstacles in life … it would mean much more than just a UFC championship. That no matter where we come from, we can achieve whatever we want.”
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