"Getting cut if he loses" - Fans react to Kelvin Gastelum's fight against Daniel Rodriguez being moved to middleweight due to weight-cut issues

Fans criticized Kelvin Gastelum as his struggles with the weighing scale continue to haunt his UFC career. Gastelum was set to take on Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight fight at this weekend's UFC Saudi Arabia event. However, recent reports suggested that he considered making it a catchweight fight due to his inability to cut weight.

Rodriguez accepted the weight change and the fight will now be moved up to middleweight. This is the second big change to the Saudi Arabia card after main event fighter Khamzat Chimaev was forced to pull out of his middleweight bout against former champion Robert Whittaker. The news update was recently posted by @mma_orbit on X:

"Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez will now take place at middleweight rather than welterweight. Gastelum was looking likely to miss the welterweight limit."

Fans took to the comments section of the post and lambasted Gastelum for his repeated struggles with weight.

"Cursed card," @jackdoorsey1 commented.

"Kelvin should move to middleweight permanently," @IamFarhan commented.

"Kelvin Gastelum’s lack of discipline has torpedoed his career. Incredibly disappointing…" @ctrainstation commented.

Some fans even speculated that Gastelum might not compete actively for a long time if his struggles continue further:

"Gastelum getting cut if he loses," @PickedByReed20 commented.

"Gastelum likely to retire," @AJenkinsBrother commented.

"Does he ever make weight?" @Sean_m10 wrote.

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Kelvin Gastelum's recent career downturn and long-standing struggle with the scale

Kelvin Gastelum won the TUF Season 17 to earn his ticket into the UFC as a highly touted prospect. Unfortunately, his performances were often overshadowed by his inability to make weight.

The 32-year-old was instructed to move up to middleweight after missing the welterweight limit twice in his first five UFC appearances. He has switched between the welterweight and middleweight divisions several times over the last few years. While he enjoyed success in both divisions initially, Gastelum has hit an extremely rough patch lately.

After giving Israel Adesanya one of the toughest fights of his career, Gastelum has suffered a 2-5 losing skid. He returned to the welterweight division against wrestling powerhouse Sean Brady in December 2023. While many expected him to have a power advantage going into the fight, the TUF 17 winner could not thwart Brady's grappling and succumbed to a third-round Kimura after getting outpointed in the first two rounds.