NEW YORK – Kelvin Gastelum says it’s Darren Till or bust at UFC 244.
In the midst of fight week, a sliver of doubt was cast over Saturday’s middleweight co-headliner when news broke that Till’s (17-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) trip stateside for the showdown with Gastelum (15-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was delayed because of a visa issue.
UFC officials released a statement confirming Till would not attend Wednesday’s open workouts or Thursday’s media day. Almost simultaneously, a report surfaced that Jared Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was training and prepared to step in as a backup if needed.
All signs currently point to Till making the trip and fighting at UFC 244, but if another snag arises, Gastelum said he won’t be fighting on the card, either.
“To be honest I’m not really concerned about it,” Gastelum told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 244 open workouts. “If something happens, this is the guy we’ve been preparing to fight and I feel like, for me to fight a Jared Cannonier in the backup is just not fair to me. I can’t take a fight like that on two days’ notice.”
Gastelum said he would happily fight Cannonier, but only under reasonable circumstances. In his mind that doesn’t apply for UFC 244, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
At this juncture, though, Gastelum said he expects to fight Till. And he said he would do so even if the Brit missed weight by a significant amount due to his travel issues.
Mentally, however, Gastelum said he’s preparing to step in the octagon with Till under an evening playing field. “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner said he could see a first-round finish, and with 185-pound king Israel Adesanya potentially in need of a new foe with Paulo Costa injured, Gastelum said he sees an opportunity.
“I think a win over this for sure could guarantee me the title shot,” Gastelum said. “It’s not for sure, but I’m pretty positive if I go out there and put a stamp on Darren, that title shot is inevitable.”