Kelvin Gastelum doesn’t plan to get lost in all the hoopla surrounding his bout with Darren Till.

Some fight fans were left puzzled when it was revealed that Till will move up in weight to take on Gastelum at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. The sticking point isn’t that Till is changing weight class, as many anticipated the move. The issue with many is that Gastelum is an elite 185-pounder while Till is coming off two stoppage losses at welterweight.

Speaking to reporters during a media scrum at UFC 242, Gastelum said he knows what Till is capable of.

“Everybody likes the fight but everybody keeps saying, ‘you’re gonna smash him, you’re gonna smash him.’ But like guys, Till’s more dangerous than everybody thinks. He’s coming off two losses. A year ago we were just saying, everybody was on him. A year ago and now every body’s like, ‘oh he’s nothing.’”

Even Gastelum has bought into the notion that Till isn’t ready for a middleweight of his caliber, but the fourth-ranked UFC 185-pounder tries to keep it out of his mind.

“Yeah it’s easy reading the comments, cause I do go through the comments in the comments section and like, ‘oh Gastelum’s got it, he’s gonna knock him out. He’s gonna do this. Gastelum 100 percent.’ And I’m like, ‘yeah, yeah they’re right. I think they’re right.’ But you have to kinda check yourself and realize, this is a dangerous guy. He’s a dangerous fighter.”

UFC 244 will take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The planned main event is a doozy as Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal are set to collide. The main event will air live on pay-per-view exclusively through ESPN+ in the United States. You can find out more about how to order PPVs here.

Do you think Darren Till is being sold short ahead of his middleweight clash with Kelvin Gastelum?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/9/2019.