Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer will look to settle unfinished business at UFC 316.
The middleweight showdown was originally slated for UFC Mexico City on March 29, but the matchup was called off at the eleventh hour after Pyfer fell ill and was ruled unfit to compete. “Bodybagz” later went on a fiery rant directed at Mexico on social media, blaming the country for the bout-canceling illness and declaring he’d never step foot there for a fight again.
On Monday, John Marquez, head coach of Pyfer, broke the news on MMA on SiriusXM that the rescheduled clash with Gastelum is now set for UFC 316, slated to take place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Pyfer bounced back from his unanimous decision loss to Jack Hermansson with a first-round knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 this past June. Before that setback, “Bodybagz” had been riding high on a wave of momentum, racking up three consecutive finishes inside the Octagon. He now boasts an impressive 4-1 record under the UFC banner.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum last competed at UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024, where he secured a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Daniel Rodriguez. A staple of the UFC roster since making his promotional debut in April 2013, the 33-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance but has often struggled to fully capitalize on his potential.
Over the course of his UFC tenure, Gastelum has compiled a record of 13-9, and one no contest.
The UFC 316 card will be headlined by a pair of high-profile title fights. In the main event, reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title in a rematch against former champ Sean O’Malley.
Meanwhile, the co-main event at UFC 316 will feature Julianna Peña putting her women’s bantamweight crown on the line against Kayla Harrison.
