Chris Weidman Meets Kelvin Gastelum In Long Island

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman wanted a rematch with Gegard Mousasi after the incredibly controversial ending to their co-main event bout at April 8’s UFC 210, but instead he’s moving on to a bout with one of his division’s fastest-rising contenders.

News came at today’s UFC Summer Kickoff Press Conference Weidman will meet Gastelum in the main event of July 22’s UFC on FOX 25 event from the Nassau Coliseum. It will be another must-win bout for Weidman, who has lost a shocking three straight bouts by finish, with the controversial TKO to Mousasi following a brutal knee KO from Yoel Romero at UFC 205 and a vicious TKO loss Luke Rockhold at UFC 194.

Gastelum, meanwhile has reeled off two straight knockouts over Vitor Belfort and Tim Kennedy since being forced to finally move up to middleweight after he missed weight for his scheduled welterweight bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 205. He earned a high-profile affair with longtime former champion Anderson Silva at June’s UFC 212, but was pulled from the bout when he failed a drug test for marijuana metabolites.

He was suspended by USADA for three months and will return against another champion now.