Gastelum Rebooked At UFC 206 vs. Kennedy

Two fighters who missed out on the UFC’s Madison Square Garden debut, for different reasons, have been rebooked for the promotion’s next big card. Tim Kennedy and Kelvin Gastelum will fight in a middleweight bout on the main card of UFC 206 in Toronto.

The UFC announced the fight on the telecast of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson on Saturday.

Kennedy (18-5) had been booked vs. Rashad Evans at UFC 205 in New York City. When Evans was denied a license to compete by the New York State Athletic Commission due abnormalities in his medicals, the fight was rebooked for UFC 206. However, the Ontario commission denied Evans a license as well, leaving Kennedy without an opponent.

Gastelum (12-2) was set to face Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout at UFC 205. Gastelum failed to make weight, however, and because Cerrone had already weighed in, the fight was scrapped.

Gastelum has missed weight multiple times in the past, even being banished from the welterweight division by UFC President Dana White for one fight. After the UFC 205 miss, White said Gastelum will never fight at 170 again.

The fight between Kennedy and Gastelum will take place at UFC 206 with one catch: Gastelum is currently suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for failing to show up at the UFC 205 weigh-ins. The promotion will need to get approval from the Commission if the fight is to go down.

Kennedy has not fought since 2014, where he lost to Yoel Romero at UFC 178. He will be the much larger fighter when he takes on Gastelum, whose weight-cutting issues have been more a result of poor discipline than being oversized.