Dana White isn't "thrilled" about Kelvin Gastelum's weight struggles: "It's extremely disappointing"

Dana White recently expressed his displeasure with Kelvin Gastelum. White is upset over Gastelum's inability to make weight for his recently concluded fight. Gastelum squared off against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia.

The milestone event took place on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Originally slated for the welterweight division, the fight was rescheduled for the middleweight contest due to Gastelum's weight-cutting struggles.

Earlier this week, Gastelum acknowledged having trouble reaching weight for his bout against Rodriguez, who agreed to a short-notice weight division change.

Rodriguez seemed to be affected by that weight issue in Riyadh as Gastelum surged ahead. Throughout three intense rounds, he maintained his composure by applying more pressure with each bell.

Rodriguez gave Gastelum several hard blows, but his chin was able to withstand all of that. Ultimately, following three rounds of back-and-forth action, Gastelum prevailed over Rodriguez via unanimous decision. The judges scored the contest 29-28, 30-27, 30-27.

During the post-fight press conference, White was asked about Gastelum's struggle with making weights. The UFC CEO replied:

''I’m not thrilled with Kelvin Gastelum right now. This guy has missed weight like three times in his career. You’ve got kids taking fights on a week notice, jumping off cards, coming over here and making weight, and Kelvin doesn’t make weight. It’s extremely disappointing.”

Check out Dana White's comments below (12:25):

Gastelum (19-9) has struggled in the UFC over the past few years. He had a 2-3 record in his last five matches, including a third-round submission loss to Sean Brady in December last year.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Rodriguez (17-5), was on a two-fight losing streak, having last won against Li Jingliang at UFC 279 in 2022. 'D-Rod' was coming off a loss against Ian Garry at UFC on ABC 4.

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Kelvin Gastelum apologizes for not making weight

Kelvin Gastelum defeated Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia by unanimous decision in a fight that was originally scheduled to take place at welterweight but was later moved to middleweight.

During his in-cage interview, Gastelum expressed regret for his failed weight cut. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that this was not the first time he had encountered problems and had to give an apology.

''I'm sorry what happened this week was unacceptable. So I promise I will be better. I know I've said that before but I'm not a perfect person, you know. I always try and be better. It is what it is, thank you guys for the opportunity.''

Check out Kelvin Gastelum's comments below (1:01):