Kelvin Gastelum issues statement following UFC Vegas 24 loss to Robert Whittaker

UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24.

Gastelum stepped up on short notice to fight Whittaker on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 24, filling in for Paulo Costa. Whittaker and Gastelum previously coached TUF 28: Heavy Hitters and so they have trained for each other in the past. On Saturday, they finally met inside the Octagon, and the fight didn’t go as planned for Gastelum, as he just wasn’t as competitive as many expected him to be. Instead, Whittaker dominated the fight from bell-to-bell and won 50-45 on the judges’ scorecards. It was a fantastic performance by the Aussie, while for Gastelum it was a tough loss after he beat Ian Heinisch in his last fight.

Taking to social media following UFC Vegas 24, Gastelum issued a statement following the loss to Whittaker. Check out what the former Ultimate Fighter winner wrote on his Twitter.

Came up short tonight
Appreciate everyone’s support 🙏
I’m gonna go back and make sure that doesn’t happen next time!
Still….#OnAmission4Gold

— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) April 18, 2021

Came up short tonight Appreciate everyone’s support I’m gonna go back and make sure that doesn’t happen next time! Still…. #OnAmission4Gold

The loss to Whittaker hurts Gastelum as he now has just a 1-4 record over his last five fights. While he deserves some credit for taking the fight on short notice, ultimately this is a game of winning and losing, and Gastelum didn’t do enough to win the fight. It makes you wonder what could be next for him in the Octagon. He’s clearly good enough to be a top-10 fighter at 185lbs, but it feels like he’s just a bit too small to ever be a champion in this division. It’s possible that Gastelum could take another shot at moving down to welterweight after this loss to Whittaker, as it would give him a fresh start at 170lbs.

What do you think is next for Kelvin Gastelum after losing to Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24?