After a couple starts and stops, it appears that Kelvin Gastelum has been cleared to fight at UFC 206 on Dec. 10.
Ariel Helwani at MMA Fighting reports that Gastelum has been approved for his fight with Tim Kennedy by the Ontario Athletic Commission after the New York State Athletic Commission agreed to waive his six-month suspension in favor of a $2,000 fine.
Gastelum had been suspended after this month’s UFC 205 event for failing to appear at weigh-ins. Gastelum was said to be well over the limit for his 170 pound bout with Donald Cerrone which was subsequently scrapped. Gastelum’s fight with Kennedy will be contested at 185 pounds.
The Ontario Commission had previously stated they intended to honor New York’s suspension, but the agreement to pay a fine instead clears the way for the bout on a card that has seen many changes over recent weeks.
UFC 206 airs Dec. 10 on pay-per-view and is headlined by an Interim Featherweight Championship fight between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis.
Hiscoe ‘s Analysis: This card could use some good luck so I’m glad this fight will be happening. Tim Kennedy looks in great shape but hasn’t fight in over two years so it will be very interesting to see how he fares against Gastelum. Gastelum will have a tougher time at 185 but he’s missed 170 so many times, he’s going to have to adapt to his new weight class.
The fact that New York equated missing six months of potential fights to $2,000 shows how much value they place on a fighter. Or perhaps they realized the penalty was a bit stiff. I think the fine is more appropriate in this circumstance.
WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Scott Coker told the Combat and Strength podcast that Bellator has been in talks with Lorenz Larkin.
-Glover Teixeira vs. Jimi Manuwa is being targeted for UFC 208 in January according to FloCombat.
-Paul Daley vs. Brennan Ward is booked for Bellator 170 on January 21 from Los Angeles.
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
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