Kelvin Gastelum had hoped to make his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 67 on Saturday, but he suffered a severe mouth injury and will not be able to compete again for quite some time.
Gastelum was ready to face Nassourdine Imavov, and he had prepared for the fight by working tirelessly at the UFC Performance Institute. But, unfortunately, he received an accidental blow to the face, and as a result, he had no other option but to pull out of the fight.
#ProhibidoParpadear con el primer evento del año!! @KelvinGastelum vs @imavov1 #UFCxFOX @SalasJiujitsu @mariodelgadorzm @FOXSportsMX #UFC pic.twitter.com/vJaJYktn4R
— Marlon Gerson (@GersonMarlon) January 7, 2023
The American mixed martial artist updated his social media followers on his injury. After receiving such a severe blow, he lost several teeth and needed facial surgery. Kelvin also shared a video of himself undergoing the operation on his face.
In 2013, Kevin competed for the first time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and won his debut matchup against Uriah Hall. Five consecutive victories were racked up by him in the span of only one and a half years. In the course of this time, he was able to achieve victory over Brian Melancon, Rick Story, Nicholas Musoke, and Jake Ellenberger.
Gastelum was defeated for the first time in 2015 by Tyron Woodley, and this marked the beginning of a difficult stretch in Gastelum’s professional MMA career. Since then, he has competed in a total of 14 bouts, of which he has been victorious only six times and has suffered defeat eight times.
Kelvin Gastelum out of #UFCVegas67 with mouth injury. pic.twitter.com/jEeB4vplue
— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) January 10, 2023
After suffering consecutive losses in 2021, he went on an extended break, and it wasn’t until 2023 that he made the decision to stage a comeback after thinking it over for so long. Because of the injury to his face, unfortunately, his return will be further postponed at this point. The injured fighter tweeted an apology to his opponent and fans for pulling out of the fight at the last minute.
“I’m extremely disappointed, to say the least. This is 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.” Kevin tweeted.
Is it time for Kelvin Gastelum to hang up the gloves? He has had a pretty tough run since 2019.#UFCVegas67 pic.twitter.com/RFo9ngEhNY
— Olin aka MMAnomaly👊 (@MMAnomaly) January 11, 2023
However, there is some good news for the French fighter: Sean Strickland has agreed to fight him in the upcoming event.
