Kelvin Gastelum ‘Selfishly’ Wants Israel Adesanya To Beat Robert Whittaker

Kelvin Gastelum hopes that he can face Israel Adesanya in a rematch for the UFC middleweight gold.

Gastelum and Adesanya did battle back in April. The two fought for the interim UFC 185-pound championship. In a “Fight of the Year” candidate, Adesanya pulled off the unanimous decision victory. He will take on Robert Whittaker on Oct. 5 for the undisputed UFC middleweight title.

During an interview with the South China Morning Post, Gastelum admitted that he’s clamoring for a rematch with Adesanya.

“I just want that rematch. You lose and go over every single detail and you want to get back in there and make things right.”

The third-ranked UFC middleweight is hoping that Adesanya can reign supreme over Whittaker to set the stage for a title rematch.

“It’ll be an interesting fight because Israel brings a whole different skill set. A whole variety of skills. But I think Rob has the right tools to beat him. I think he will win but selfishly I want Israel to win so I can take the title from him.”

Gastelum’s next fight hasn’t been determined at this time. He’s hoping for a November return. While Gastelum was eyeing Jack Hermansson, “The Joker” is set to clash with Jared Cannonier on Sept. 28.