Kelvin Gastelum cutting to 170 without help of 'expensive' Mike Dolce
SAN ANTONIO -- Kelvin Gastelum cut to welterweight after winning The Ultimate Fighter with the help of heralded nutrition coach Mike Dolce. In his last fight, though, he went at it alone. Dolce's services, Gastelum said, were "expensive" so he gave the cut a try without him.
It didn’t work out so well. Gastelum initially missed weight before fighting Rick Story in March. He did eventually get down to 170 on the third try. Gastelum beat Story by split decision, but it wasn't his best performance.
It's hard to say if the bad cut had anything to do with it, but Gastelum said he has cleaned things up ahead of his UFC Fight Night bout with Nico Musoke on Saturday here at AT&T Center (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m.).
"I thought I was able to handle it the second time on my own, but I had some complications," said Gastelum, who weighed 172.5 on his first try before UFC 171. "This time I really feel like I've got a hold of my diet and my weight cutting."
Gastelum (8-0), who would not say how much Dolce costs, said he isn't really sure what his diet issues were before UFC 171. He said he was dropping weight normally up until two weeks out when he hit a plateau. That didn't happen now. He doesn't anticipate any problems when he steps on the scale Friday.
"I just made sure I stayed on point with my diet," Gastelum said at open workouts Thursday.
This is a huge fight for Gastelum, 22, and not because he could earn a title shot with a win or anything like that. It's just the first time in his career that he comes in as a significant favorite. 5 Dimes has Gastelum at -380 as of Thursday. He's the No. 11 welterweight in the official UFC rankings, while Musoke has never even fought in the United States before.
"There is a different vibe and atmosphere for myself now that people expect me to win," Gastelum said. "There is an added pressure, but I'm not going to let that bother me."
Gastelum was the underdog when he beat Uriah Hall for the Ultimate Fighter 17 title last year and the fight with the durable Story was basically a toss-up. This, on the other hand, reeks of a showcase fight for Gastelum. Musoke, 28, is 2-0 in the UFC, but he's nowhere near the level of prospect Gastelum is.
If he continues to evolve -- and make weight at 170 -- it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Gastelum in the title picture for a long time.
"I've got one mission in mind and that's to win that belt," he said. "I don’t care how long as it's gonna take."
