MMA Fighting
Kelvin Gastelum won’t be removed from his UFC 244 bout vs. Darren Till, but the middleweight contender is facing disciplinary action from the New York commission.
Kelvin Gastelum is being allowed to fight at UFC 244, but could still be in hot water.
The UFC middleweight contender is facing disciplinary action from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) following his official weigh-in Friday morning. After reviewing footage of the weigh-in, the commission determined Gastelum leaned on his coach Rafael Cordeiro while he was on the scale, according to ESPN.
“The official weight determination will not be disturbed, and Mr. Gastelum will not be disqualified from competing in UFC 244, as the possible contact indicated in the video cannot be said to have materially impacted Mr. Gastelum’s weight to the extent that he would have exceeded the applicable weight limit allowable for competition in the match,” a NYSAC statement read (via ESPN).
Per NYSAC policy, a fighter weighing in “shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale.”
This rule was added to the commission’s policy after an incident in April 2017 involving former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier. “DC,” the light heavyweight champ at the time, put his hands on top of the towel during his weigh-in ahead of his title defense against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 in Buffalo. Many believed that is what allowed Cormier to successfully make weight for that fight.
UFC 244, which is headlined by Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz, takes place Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.