Gastelum makes 170 pounds for 1st time in 9 years

Kelvin Gastelum is officially a welterweight again.

The longtime UFC contender made weight for his long-awaited return to the welterweight division Friday, coming in at 170 pounds. Gastelum is scheduled to face Sean Brady on the UFC Austin main card Saturday night at Moody Center.

Gastelum last competed - and made weight - as a welterweight in July 2016. This was his first time hitting 170 pounds on the dot since November 2014.

Following a history of struggles on the scale as a welterweight, Gastelum moved up to middleweight in 2016, where he spent his last 12 fights over seven years.

Gastelum officially missed weight twice in eight bouts at welterweight, including by nine pounds for a high-profile fight against then-future welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in 2015.

But he also had a fight canceled on weigh-in day in 2016 after he was unable to make weight. Gastelum was supposed to take on Donald Cerrone at the UFC's Madison Square Garden debut. That was his last scheduled welterweight bout before this year.

The 32-year-old realized mixed success as a middleweight, compiling a 5-5 (1 NC) record. He performed well early on, beating the likes of Michael Bisping and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza to earn an interim title shot against Israel Adesanya.

After a unanimous decision defeat to Adesanya, though, Gastelum won just one of his next five Octagon appearances. The Arizona resident recently got back on track with a victory over Chris Curtis in April. That was his first fight in 20 months.

All the UFC Austin fighters made weight, including headliners Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan. Jalin Turner, who faces Bobby Green on short notice in the co-main event, was 156 pounds on his second attempt after initially tipping the scale at 157 pounds. Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was on point for his bantamweight debut.