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Kelvin Gastelum is fighting Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Title at UFC 236. In February, his title fight was taken from him due to a last-minute injury that was suffered by Robert Whittaker.
Before his fight at UFC 236, I had the chance to catch up to Kelvin Gastelum and posed a few questions before him.
Catch UFC 236 Live and Exclusive on Sunday, 14th April 2019 at 7.30 am (IST) on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels.
Q. You talked about how heartbreaking it was for your Robert Whittaker fight to be canceled at the last second. Could you elaborate on how you felt?
KG: I don’t even know how to say it in words. Words can’t even convey the way it felt. Heartbreak, devastating, just heartbreak. All your emotions all your thoughts all your work – it’s all just concentrated on this one day and then it’s… Oh my God, what is going on? Am I dreaming? It was heartbreak, to say the least.
Q. Are you ready for this fight against Israel Adesanya? What has the preparation been like?
KG: I am so ready, I have been ready since February. I am ready, 1000% ready.
Q. You are fighting for the Interim Title – Do you feel this fight should be for the actual Title?
KG: That’s not my decision.
Q. Your last fight was canceled in the literal last minute. What are your thoughts ahead of your fight against Israel Adesanya?
KG: Israel Adesanya obviously represents some really high-level striking, but I don’t think he has been tested enough yet or put in bad positions. I feel like I can be the guy to put him in those bad positions so let’s see how he responds to that.
Q. Given you were already prepared for your fight at UFC 234, has training been easier, since you were already ready to fight?
It hasn’t been as smooth as I thought it would be. I’ve been through this rollercoaster emotionally and physically as well because I was sick. I was unwell for about 2 weeks. My trainers and I were worried if I was going to have enough time to prepare for this fight. Ultimately, we passed through that hump and now we are 1000% ready to win this fight.
