Is Kelvin Gastelum Mexican? Ethnicity, Religion, Parents & More

Kelvin Gastelum has decided to stay in the middleweight division for the time being as he gears up for another one this weekend. The 33-year-old is best remembered as a middleweight for his fantastic back-and-forth battle with then-champion Israel Adesanya. That fight earned him a lot more fans than he already had, leaving them wanting to know Gastelum a bit more on a personal note.

Kelvin Gastelum, after his win over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, is now going to butt heads against the up-and-coming Joe Pyfer at UFC on ESPN 64 in Mexico City. But before getting to that fight, let us take a look at his personal life and background.

Where is Kelvin Gastelum from? Ethnicity and nationality

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. 

However, Gastelum’s family is from Ciudad Obregón in the state of Sonora in Mexico, where he moved briefly during his childhood before moving back to the States and settling in Arizona.

Kelvin Gastelum has always taken pride in being a USA national and believes that there’s nothing bigger than being as patriotic as one can be to their country. “Any man that chooses God & Country over everything is an EASY choice for me. God bless America,” Gastelum wrote in a post on Facebook.

Now that we’ve established his roots and origins, let’s talk about Kelvin Gastelum’s religious background. Here’s what we know.

Which religion does Kelvin Gastelum follow?

While there is no confirmation about which religion (if any) he practices, Kelvin Gastelum was born into a Christian family. Hence, we can assume that his parents’ religion could be what he practices as well. However, the city where he was born, San Jose, has more than fifty percent of people who remain unaffiliated with any religion. Hence, it’s a bit difficult to pinpoint Gastelum’s religious affiliation.

Well, the details of his religion may appear ambiguous, but there is plenty of information on his family members. So, let’s take a look at the details about Gastelum’s family members, especially his parents.

All about Kelvin Gastelum’s parents

Kevin Gastelum was raised by his single mother, Patricia Encinas. He has mentioned several times 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 alumnus of 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 veteran of the sport, Kelvin Gastelum, is only 33 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.