Three UFC middleweights have been on a tear through the division as of late. Surprisingly, all three of the fighters are former welterweights.
Most recently, Kelvin Gastelum headlined UFC Fight Night 122 in a middleweight match up against former champion Michael Bisping. Gastelum made short work of his opponent with a first round knockout victory. Beyond that, the fighter previously put on a dominant performance over mixed martial arts veteran Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 106. However, the fighter’s stoppage win was later overturned to a no contest after Gastelum failed a drug test for a marijuana metabolite.
That being said, Gastelum is not the only former welterweight to have some serious success in the middleweight division. Robert Whittaker is the reining interim middleweight champion with wins over tough contenders Yoel Romero, Ronaldo Souza and Derek Brunson.
Lastly there is, of course, the recent octagon return of former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. For his big return, “Rush” moved up in weight to challenge UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping for his title. In the main event of UFC 217, St-Pierre choked out “The Count” for the middleweight strap.
All in all, these three former welterweights appear to be on a dominant run through the middleweight class.
