Kelvin Gastelum has admitted he fears his spot on the UFC roster is at risk heading into his fight this weekend at UFC On ABC 6 after losing six of his last eight fights, though he also thinks the same applies to his opponent Daniel Rodriguez.
“I feel like my back’s up against the wall a little bit – things haven’t gone the way I’ve wanted them to in my career lately,” Gastelum told MMAJunkie. “This one does feel a little different. I need a win. I’m in a must-win situation. I think both of us. I think loser goes home. Loser packs, and goes home and doesn’t sign with the UFC.”
Auggesting that his opponent’s job is alson on the line is perhaps a bit of a stretch given that D-Rod is only coming off back-to-back losses and had been on a four-fight winning streak prior to that, but either way Gastelum is confident that he’ll beat him this weekend.
“As always, I’m coming into this confident, confident in my abilities and confident I put in the right amount of work. I’m just confident overall. I think I’m the better fighter overall. This guy’s a tough guy, but I think I’m better, I’m tougher, and I’m going to come out with the win.”
However, while he’s a veteran campaigner with over a decade’s worth of experience competing in the UFC, Gastelum also acknowledges that he’s not immune to pre-fight nerves given his current situation.
“It does [scare me] – it does. But at the same time, I’m a man who always thinks positive, so we’re going to stay positive.”
