Everything seemed to be falling into place for Dana White & Co. as the UFC approached its 7th outing in Mexico City, set to take place at Arena CDMX. However, just as the event neared, the MMA gods delivered a blow to the vaunted Fight Night event, with one of the most anticipated matchups now off the card. With only hours left before the promotion’s Mexico event kicks off, which will be headlined by a flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Steve Erveg, fans were also looking forward to an intense middleweight clash between former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer.

Both fighters have been out of action since the summer of last year and when the possibility of the duo competing arose, tragedy struck! As reported by MMA Fighting on their Instagram page, Joe Pyfer has withdrawn due to illness, a decision confirmed by Dana White and the UFC. However, the exact nature of the illness remains undisclosed. While the remaining 12 fights on the card will proceed as scheduled, Joe Pyfer has come up with a public statement regarding the situation.

He stated, “Just wanna say my heart is broken I couldn’t fight today. I got super sick and hopefully, we can reschedule this fight for a few weeks from now. Unfortunately comes with the territory of travelling outside the state. Never again my apologies guys. We’ll be back.”

Gastelum is currently navigating a tough stretch in his career, with a 3-6 record in his last 9 Octagon appearances. Nevertheless, his legacy is undeniable, having shared the cage with some of the sport’s elite, including Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya. His unforgettable five-round battle with Adesanya at UFC 236 in 2019 for the interim middleweight title remains one of the most thrilling matchups in UFC history.

Though the American fell short of capturing the title, his relentless effort in that back-and-forth war earned him the Fight of the Night bonus and widespread recognition as Fight of the Year from numerous media outlets. Moreover, last month at UFC 312, the UFC Hall of Fame inducted the fight into its Fight Wing, further cementing its place in UFC history. However, despite these accolades, Gastelum seemed poised to make another push toward the title. Unfortunately, with Joe Pyfer pulling out of their scheduled fight, the matchup is now off, putting his title aspirations on hold for the moment.

Kelvin Gastelum opened up about his future in Dana White’s UFC

Kelvin Gastelum earned his UFC ticket by winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 in the middleweight division. Early in his UFC career, he made the decision to drop down to the 170-pound division, where he found success and built an impressive win streak. However, his journey between two weight classes—welterweight and middleweight—began to take a toll on his career. After a strong start, setbacks followed, including a hard-fought loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight battle for the interim title.

Now, at 33 years old, the San Jose export has decided to focus exclusively on the 185-pound division. At the recent UFC Mexico City media day, Kelvin Gastelum spoke about his decision, saying, “And you know what? I feel good about it. This is where I’ve had the best moments of my career. This is where I’m staying. I feel good here, I feel happy, and I feel strong. I put on a lot of muscle to be able to compete with these big guys… When I was fighting for the title, I stayed at middleweight because I was doing well. I was winning fights, I fought for the title, so I stayed at middleweight. Now, I feel like this is my actual home.”

What’s your opinion on Kelvin Gastelum’s career path? Do you believe he made the right choice by committing to middleweight, or should he consider returning to welterweight? Should the Arizonain drop back down to 170 pounds, or is staying at 185 pounds the smarter move for him moving forward? Share your thoughts below.