Kelvin Gastelum posts gnarly injury video after UFC Vegas 67 withdrawal: ‘Sewing my teeth back on’

Kelvin Gastelum had a good reason for pulling out of UFC Vegas 67.

Gastelum was forced to withdraw from the UFC’s first main event of 2023 on Monday after a mouth injury left him unable to compete against Nassourdine Imavov on Jan. 14. UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland stepped in on short notice to fight Imavov instead, while Gastelum was forced to undergo dental surgery to repair the damage on his mouth, which was caused by a wayward blow to the face he suffered in the gym.

Just how bad was it?

Following the news, Gastelum posted video of the procedure on social media, which, as he phrased it in response to a fan on Twitter, involved “sewing my teeth back on.”

That clip, which includes graphic imagery, can be seen below.

The video followed a message of apology earlier in the day directed to both Imavov and the fans issued by Gastelum for the unfortunate turn of events.

I’m extremely disappointed to say the least. This not how I wanted to start 2023. I worked my ass off andamp; 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.

Gastelum (16-8, 1 NC) has had a rough go of things in recent years.

The 31-year-old has been out of action since an August 2021 loss to Jared Cannonier which dropped him to 1-5 over his past six bouts. The TUF 17 winner’s sole win since his failed interim title bid against Israel Adesanya was a unanimous decision over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258.

UFC Vegas 67 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.