Is Kelvin Gastelum Hispanic? Who Are His Parents? UFC Star’s Nationality, Ethnicity, Family and More

Kelvin Gastelum has moved back to the welterweight division. The Mexican-American has been fighting at middleweight and is best remembered for his fantastic back-and-forth battle with then-champion Israel Adesanya. However, his return to 170 pounds wasn’t what he had envisioned as he lost to Sean Brady, and he’s returning for some more welterweight action this weekend in Saudi Arabia.

Kelvin Gastelum made his UFC debut at middleweight and then fought at 170 in the welterweight division for his next half a dozen fights, before moving up to 185. The former middleweight title contender moves back down to 170 and is gearing up to face Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh. But before getting to that fight, let us take a look at his personal life and background.

Where is Kelvin Gastelum from? What nation does he represent?

Kelvin Gastelum comes from a Mexican-American family and is ethnically Hispanic with Mexican heritage. He is a citizen of the United States of America, being born in San Jose, California, in 1991, and fighting out of Yuma, Arizona. His family is from the Obregon city of the Sonora state in Mexico, where he moved briefly during his childhood before moving back to the States and settling in Arizona.

While there is no confirmation about which religion (if any) he practices, he was born in a Christian family. Kelvin Gastelum started his mixed martial arts career fighting in various smaller promotions before he was selected for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen in 2012, which began his UFC career.

Gastelum defeated teammate Uriah Hall in the finale to become the youngest TUF winner at 21 years old. And while his stint at the middleweight division has not been very productive, he would be looking to turn the narrative around with a dominant performance on June 22. Now, let’s take a look at the details about Gastelum’s family members, especially his parents.

All we know about Gastelum’s parents and early life

Kelvin Gastelum didn’t have a patriarch in his life growing up. He was raised by his single mother, Patricia Encinas. He has mentioned several times about the sacrifices his mother made, working multiple jobs before creating a business of her own. “My mom was a single mother, working three to four jobs. She would take a bunch of crazy, grimy jobs at first, then she got into the restaurant business. Then she started to manage restaurants. She was also a chef for a long time. She did a lot in the restaurant business,” Gastelum told FOX Sports back in 2015.

On the educational front, Gastelum attended Cibola High School in Yuma, Arizona, and is an alma mater of the North Idaho College. He started wrestling in school and continued practicing and competing in college. Gastelum won a 5A Division II Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship in school and continued his promising wrestling career in college, where he was ranked as high as no. 5 by the NJCAA. Kelvin Gastelum even worked as a bail bondsman before diving into the world of mixed martial arts.

A 14-year veteran, Kelvin Gastelum is only 32 years old and has already spent more than a decade in the UFC, but has never tasted gold. Can he do that in the near future with a win this Saturday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.