By
John Heinis on Wednesday, November 19
th 2014
Following a big win over Jake Ellenberger at UFC 180 last weekend, Kelvin Gastelum is one win away from establishing himself as the welterweight division’s elite.
And he’ll have a chance to do it against top contender Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 on January 31, UFC.com announced on Tuesday.
Gastelum, the winner of season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, scored the biggest win of his career when he tapped out Ellenberger – cracking the UFC’s top 10 rankings for the first time, entering the fray at No. 7.
The 23-year-old prospect is 10-0 as a professional mixed martial artist, with seven of those victories coming via stoppages.
He faces what could be another stiff test on paper in Woodley, the No. 3 welterweight in the UFC’s official rankings.
A former two-time Division I NCAA All-American, with knockout power to boot, “T-Wood” has scored KO’s in three of his last four fights.
His lone setback since November of last year was lackluster decision loss to fellow contender Rory MacDonald at UFC 174 in June.
A former Strikeforce title challenger, Woodley is 4-3 in his past seven contests after beginning his career with 10 straight victories.
UFC 183 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and is headlined by a middleweight scrap between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.