WATCH: Kelvin Gastelum posts gnarly video of sewing his teeth back on after UFC Vegas 67 withdrawal
Kelvin Gastelum is out of his headliner clash against Nassourdine Imavov that was scheduled for next weekend. Sean Strickland will now replace Gastelum, who was forced to pull out due to a mouth injury.
The former interim title challenger recently posted a graphic video of himself getting sutured between his teeth.
Watch the clip below (GRAPHIC WARNING):
Graphic imaging ⚠️‼️ https://t.co/L8jhdRgV0F
In a subsequent reply to a fan, Gastelum claimed to be sewing his teeth back on.
@DanaRed6 Sewing my teeth back on
Kelvin Gastelum's career has been riddled with injuries, which even forced him to stay out of the octagon for the entirety of last year. The one-time interim title challenger was extremely disappointed at being forced out of his clash against Imavov. The 31-year-old wrote on Twitter:
"I’m extremely disappointed to say the least. This not how I wanted to start 2023. I worked my ass off & battled through a lot of adversary and was ready to put on a hell of a show this weekend. I apologize to Imavov, his camp as well as @ufc and all the fans. #OnAmission4Gold"
I’m extremely disappointed to say the least. This not how I wanted to start 2023.
I worked my ass off & battled through a lot of adversary and was ready to put on a hell of a show this weekend.
I apologize to Imavov, his camp as well as @ufc and all the fans.
#OnAmission4Gold
While Strickland and Imavov will now compete in a five-rounder, the matchup has been moved up to 205 lbs. It will be a quick turnaround for Strickland, who's coming off a split-decision loss against Jared Cannonier back in December.
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This was supposed to be Kelvin Gastelum's first fight after changing gyms
Kelvin Gastelum's career hasn't gone uphill since dropping an interim title shot against Israel Adesanya back in 2019. The 31-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Jared Cannonier in 2021 and has gone 1-5 in his last six outings.
The downward slide forced Gastelum to switch gyms from Kings MMA in California to Fight Ready in Arizona over the course of last year. Explaining his move, the one-time interim title challenger said in an earlier interview with MMA Junkie:
"I need to change my game up. Things aren’t going the way I want them in my career. I need to switch things up. I made some radical changes by coming out here to Fight Ready and coming out here to Arizona, and you know, changing my whole environment, changing where I live and getting real uncomfortable."
Watch Kelvin Gastelum's interview below:
Kelvin Gastelum got his first opportunity to represent Fight Ready at UFC 273 in April but was forced out due to an injury. The latest mouth injury means Gastelum that will have to wait a bit longer to represent his new gym.