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Kelvin Gastelum Surprised Anderson Silva Accepted the Fight

Kelvin Gastelum Surprised Anderson Silva Accepted the Fight

Following his UFC Fight Night Fortaleza first-round knockout win over Vitor Belfort, Kelvin Gastelum called for a fight against former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. A couple of days after the callout, Silva agreed to face Gastelum at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro.

Gastelum was surprised that Silva accepted the fight. “Yes,” he said when asked during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “I thought it was going to be a problem. I didn’t think he was going to sign it. The next thing I know is he’s posting this video of him signing it.”

The reality that he's fighting the legendary Silva next hasn't completely set in for Gastelum. It's still “surreal” to him.

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“It’s kind of a big deal. I thought the Vitor Belfort fight was big. This is a whole another level,” he said. “I’m fighting the greatest of all time. It’s like fighting Mike Tyson. It’s insane.”

Silva will be the highest profile opponent Gastelum has faced, and the most experienced. At 41 years old, Silva is still a dangerous opponent.

“He has very little holes,” said Gaselum. “He’s a very complete fighter, more than any other fighters that I’ve faced. So it’s going to be a difficult task.”

Gastelum respects Silva's accomplishments and contributions to the sport, but isn't going to let that get in the way of defeating him.

“All respect to him. I didn’t think he was actually going to go on and take the fight. I’m just very thankful for the opportunity to be able to fight him. He’s the greatest of all time and deserves all the respect in the world. But once that cage door closes, I expect the same results that I had with Vitor,” he said.

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