Is Kelvin Gastelum Ready?

This Saturday, the MMA world will have one big question answered: Is Kelvin Gastelum ready for elite competition?

The 23-year-old won The Ultimate Fighter season 17 with a huge upset win over Uriah Hall nearly two years ago and hasn’t looked back since then. Since that fight with Hall in April 2013, Gastelum has defeated Jake Ellenberger, Nico Musoke, Rick Story, and Brian Melancon for a perfect 5-0 overall record. He has been nothing short of outstanding, and with another big win will be in contention for the UFC welterweight championship.

Gastelum will get the opportunity to go from rising star to legitimate contender when he faces top-five ranked UFC contender Tyron Woodley this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 183. Although fighting Ellenberger in the co-main event of UFC 180 in Mexico was huge, this fight against Woodley in Las Vegas is by far the biggest fight of Gastelum’s career, because it will show the MMA world whether he is an elite fighter.

Gastelum is actually the favorite heading into this fight with Woodley, which may surprise some, considering Woodley’s resume. But the betting public believes in Gastelum, and it’s hard not to. He is undefeated in his pro MMA career at 10-0 — not including an additional four wins in the TUF house (one of which was a submission win over Josh Samman) – and has shown very few flaws in his fight game so far. However, Woodley represents a massive step up in competition.

A former Strikeforce title contender, Woodley is coming off of a devastating knockout of Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 48, which got him back into title contention following a stinker against Rory MacDonald at UFC 174. Woodley is one of those hot-or-cold type fighters, because when he’s on, he’s one of the best welterweights in the game, but when he’s off, he can be incredibly frustrating to watch. Still, all signs are pointing to him being extremely motivated for this fight with Gastelum, and with UFC president Dana White saying the winner of this bout will be on the short list for the next UFC welterweight title shot, look for both Woodley and Gastelum to leave it all in the cage.

As far as a prediction goes, this is a tough fight to call. Both men have excellent wrestling, but overall you have to give the edge to Woodley, especially with him training with Ben Askren during this camp. As for the striking, Gastelum throws more volume, but there’s no doubt Woodley has more power. As far as the ground game goes, Gastelum has a big edge in submissions, but with Woodley’s impeccable takedown defence, it’s hard to see this fight reaching the mat anyways, so fans can expect a standup war.

Being favored over a guy like Woodley is no joke, and it’s proof that the public believes in Gastelum’s potential. If he wins, Gastelum’s stock is going to rise through the roof, and fans are going to wonder if this is a guy who can challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler.

If Gastelum loses, though, it’s not the end of the world. At only 23 years of age, the future is still very bright for Gastelum, so even if he comes up short, he’ll have lots of time to bounce back, improve, and contend in the future. In that sense, this fight is more of a do-or-die situation for Woodley, who is in his early 30s and who has failed in numerous big-fight occasions in the past. But one thing is for sure, and it’s that we’re going to find out whether Gastelum is the real deal right now.

UFC 183 is a tremendous card from top to bottom, but other than the main event between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, I believe Gastelum vs. Woodley is the most intriguing matchup on the docket. It will answer a lot of questions about both men, and I can’t wait to see what both fighters do with the tremendous opportunity both have been given.

UFC 183