‘Truly Embarrassed, Guys’

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Following a disappointing first round heel hook defeat at the hands of Jack Hermansson (watch it here), Kelvin Gastelum finds himself on a three fight losing skid.

Sure, the first of those losses was to Israel Adesanya in the toughest fight of the ascendant champion’s career. But his flat and tentative loss against Darren Till had people wondering whether he’d lost some of his drive to compete, and this latest Hermansson defeat came after Kelvin once again allowed himself to sit in a dangerous position on the ground too long, similar to his loss against Chris Weidman in 2017.

For a man who was poised to cement a spot at the top of the middleweight division, it’s been a sobering several months. And no one is apparently aware of that more than Gastelum himself, who issued a statement following his latest L on Fight Island.

“Truly embarrassed guys,” Gastelum wrote. “I’m sorry. My team, my family @UFC @danawhite @Mickmaynard2. I’m much better than what was shown tonight. Thanks to all my family , my team and my friends for the ongoing support. I love you all.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated,” he finished. “In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so u can know who u are, what u can rise from, how u can still come out of it.”

This latest loss drops Gastelum to 15-6-1 and may result in him dropping from #7 in the UFC middleweight rankings out of the top ten.

While UFC president Dana White didn’t comment on Gastelum’s quick defeat at Fight Island 2, he made it clear coming into the weekend that the exciting fighter wasn’t on thin ice with the promotion.

“He’s always in it,” White said. “He’s always right there. We’ll find out. I don’t think it’s a crossroads fight, though. This is a kid that win, lose or draw will still be in the top 10, will still be exciting and can pull out a win with one punch.”

What do you think, Maniacs? Can Kelvin turn things around and claw his way back into the top five or are things not looking good for the 28 year old Ultimate Fighter winner?