UFC 224: Kelvin Gastelum Still Has Tyron Woodley Rematch In Sight

Kelvin Gastelum still plans on having a rematch with current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley ahead of his pivotal UFC 224 clash with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro.

Gastelum (14-3-1) started his UFC career as a 170-pounder but notably had problems making the weight limit as he missed weight twice in his seven welterweight fights.

One of those fights was against Woodley (18-3-1) as the 26-year-old not only missed weight by a massive nine pounds but also fought after being hospitalized due to flu-like symptoms prior to their UFC 183 contest in January 2015.

Woodley would beat Gastelum via a close split decision before winning the welterweight strap in his next fight against Robbie Lawler and defending it a further three times.

Meanwhile, Gastelum moved up to the middleweight division (185 pounds) and most recently defeated former champion Michael Bisping via knockout in their UFC Fight Night clash in Shanghai in November last year.

The San Jose native will now face longtime contender "Jacare" next and victory against the Brazilian would not only give Gastelum arguably the biggest win of his career, but also a potential shot against the winner of current champion Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero's title fight at UFC 225 the following month. However, returning to welterweight is still in his mind.

"Eventually, I’m going to be fighting for that title at middleweight, which is crazy," Gastelum said at a media lunch Wednesday. "But yeah, in my eyes, in the back of my head — way in the back of my head — I still have welterweight in mind."

Even though Gastelum enjoys the benefits of the extra 15 pounds he can retain fighting at middleweight, part of the reason he is not finished at welterweight is because he still plans on running things back with Woodley as he feels he won the first contest.

"Because I know I can do it [make 170 pounds]. I know if I do it right, I can do it. But I'm happy where I am right now," Gastelum added.

"That [loss against Woodley] is part of the reason. That fight is like a splinter in my heart. I kind of want to get that fight back — make the weight, make it right. In a lot of people’s eyes, including myself, I won that fight."

However, "Jacare" (25-5-1) will be the priority as Gastelum is prepared to face one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC, known for his world class ground game.

"You can only prepare and strategize the best you can, and I feel like I’ve done that," he explained. "I feel like I'm prepared to the best of my abilities for what he brings to the table."

UFC 224 will be headlined by a women's bantamweight title fight between current champion Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. Other standout bouts on the card include Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Cooper and Vitor Belfort vs. Lyoto Machida.