Daniel Cormier looks on while coaching The Ultimate Fighter, inset Kelvin Gastelum smiles on stage at the Noche UFC ceremonial weigh-ins. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Daniel Cormier admits he had second thoughts about interviewing Kelvin Gastelum at Noche UFC due to weight miss

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 12:36 AM ET

Daniel Cormier was left with questions following Kelvin Gastelum’s Noche UFC win.

Fans called for the UFC to cut Gastelum after he widely missed the middleweight mark by five pounds ahead of September 13.

The former title challenger and UFC Hall of Famer has always delivered entertaining fights inside the Octagon but his career has also been marked by similar issues.

Despite this, Gastelum got his hand raised over Dustin Stoltzfus in San Antonio, emerging victorious via a unanimous decision.

When reflecting on the entire card at the end of the night, Daniel Cormier shared his thoughts on where this leaves the 33-year-old veteran.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Daniel Cormier says there were questions about whether Kelvin Gastelum should receive a post-fight interview

Speaking on his YouTube channel while being sat inside the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Daniel Cormier ran through the Noche UFC card and shared his thoughts.

When he got to Kelvin Gastelum and his win, the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion was left with some questions.

Cormier stated that he isn’t sure how to reflect on these performances because while the fight was entertaining, the weight miss hangs over it.

“Guys, I’ve got to be honest with you. Kelvin Gastelum I respect greatly because of what he has done in his career. But, I’ve got to be honest, man. Missing weight by that much, I don’t know. I don’t know how to judge these performances.”

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Cormier went on to say that there were questions regarding whether they should give Gastelum time on the mic inside the Octagon.

The former title challenger used this moment to apologize for missing the mark, but Cormier wasn’t sure whether he deserved this opportunity to speak immediately after the win.

“It’s unfair man and I don’t know how to judge Gastelum. Honestly, it was so bad guys that we thought about not doing the interview because you should feel something negatively whenever you don’t make the weight or you show up like that. I get it, he took the fight on four weeks notice but that’s a month to get ready.”

Daniel Cormier made reference to another one of Kelvin Gastelum’s weight miss

While Kelvin Gastelum made reference to the fact that he took this fight on relatively short notice during his post-fight interview, this isn’t the first time that he’s missed the mark.

Daniel Cormier made reference to his fight with Daniel Rodriguez last year in Saudi Arabia, where the bout was moved to middleweight due to his issues with making welterweight.

The fight being so exciting may have saved Gastelum’s UFC career, but even that doesn’t feel like a guarantee following this latest issue.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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