Former welterweight Kelvin Gastelum is now firmly embedded as a member of the UFC middleweight roster, having earned the number-five spot in the divisional rankings.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner’s next middleweight bout will occur at UFC 224 this May 12, when he takes on Brazilian grappling ace Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a fight that could well produce the division’s next title contender.

Given the mammoth implications of his showdown with Jacare, it should come as no surprise that Gastelum is pretty happy with his life as a UFC middleweight.

“I’m very happy,” Gastelum said of his middleweight career at a media luncheon this week. “My weight is good right now, and I’m eating full meals, you know? I’m not depriving myself completely. I don’t feel like I’m suffering through the days or in a bad mood.”

While Gastelum is quite happy as a middleweight, however, he does still think about returning to the welterweight division, where he spent much of his UFC career. That’s due in large part to his razor-close 2015 battle with Tyron Woodley, who later became the UFC welterweight champion. While Gastelum missed weight for his bout with Woodley, he and many viewers felt like he won it.

“That is part of the reason,” Gastelum said of his fight with Woodley, when asked about a potential return to welterweight. “That fight kind of has a splinter in me. It’s like a splinter in my heart, you know? I kind of want to get that fight back. Make the weight, make it right. Like you said, in a lot of people’s eyes, including myself, I won that fight.”

“I know that I can do it,” Gastelum said of the weight cut down to 170 pounds. “I know that if I can do it right, I can do it. But I’m just happy where I’m at right now. I’m doing well so I’m happy with what’s going on right now.”

Do you want to see Tyron Woodley and Kelvin Gastelum fight again in the future?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/3/2018.