“It feels familiar in a sense because I’m fighting him and this was supposed to be done a long time ago, which is why I felt so confident accepting the fight,” Gastelum said of the pairing with the former middleweight champion, who has earned consecutive unanimous decision victories since dropping the title to Adesanya at UFC 243. “I wasn’t hesitant at all to take the fight, and we feel confident going in. I’ve prepared for him before and we know what we have in front of us.
“At the same time, I feel like I’ve changed so much and I’ve grown so much and I’ve gone through so much in those couple of years (since we were supposed to fight), so this is a new beginning for me,” continued Gastelum. “I feel like the fight against Ian Heinisch was a restart for me in my career — mentally, physically; in all aspects of my life it was a restart for me.”
Even though it has only been a couple of years since their cancelled championship engagement, it feels like a lifetime ago to Gastelum, who relied on friends, family, teammates, and coaches to help beat back the doubts and stoke the smoldering embers of self-belief until they became a roaring fire once again.
It took time and patience, but day-by-day, the perennial contender got himself back to where he always knew he belonged — standing triumphant in the center of the Octagon — and now he’s ready to build on feeling by taking on Whittaker this weekend.
“Down deep in my heart, I knew that I still had it in me, even though it was hard to get motivated and those fears and doubts were creeping in, so I would take it one day at a time,” said Gastelum, reflecting on his difficult road back to the win column. “It was a year-long process, and every day was a struggle to get up and try.
“But I feel like the tides have been turning in my favor. I feel like I’m at a different point in my life, in my career, and as a person. I feel like I grew a lot in these last couple years. When I was supposed to fight for the title, the Kelvin Gastelum back then is not the same as the guy that is stepping into the Octagon against Rob on April 17. I’ve grown and matured; I’m not the little 21-year-old guy from The Ultimate Fighter anymore.
“I feel refreshed and I’m ready to restart my career, and that starts with Robert Whittaker.”
