UFC Fight Night 217: UFC: On January 14, the first significant event of 2023, UFC Fight Night 217, will feature a middleweight fight as the main event. However, Kelvin Gastelum’s withdrawal from the main event forced a significant alteration to be made at the last minute, disappointing UFC fans who wanted to see him fight Nassourdine Imavov. The UFC’s APEX Center in Las Vegas will now host Sean Strickland versus Imavov, so fans shouldn’t worry. The reports about why Kelvin Gastelum withdrew from the contest minutes before are now out. Follow UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs Imavov News Updates InsideSport.IN
Also Read | UFC Fight Night 217: Where to watch Strickland vs Imavov live?
UFC Fight Night 217: What caused Kelvin Gastelum to withdraw from the main event?
Following the news, Gastelum tweeted a statement of disappointment, apologized to everyone, and expressed his sadness. He stated, “I’m extremely disappointed to say the least. This not how I wanted to start 2023. I worked my a** 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.”
UFC Fight Night 217: Why did Kelvin Gastelum pull out of the main event?
Meanwhile, ESPN’s MMA columnist Brett Okamoto uncovers why “K-19 The Widowmaker” withdrew from the match. As per him, “The first UFC main event of 2023 has underwent a last-minute change. Kelvin Gastelum out with a mouth injury, and Sean Strickland has agreed to replace him against Nassourdine Imavov. Five rounds, but now 205 pounds per UFC officials. This is now back-to-back UFC events headlined by Strickland.”
Gastelum was quite disappointed that a mouth injury would keep him from competing in the main event. However, Strickland, who is now on a two-fight losing run after most recently falling to Jared Cannonier at the most recent UFC event, has decided to compete in the main event.
Imavov, on the other hand, is currently on a three-fight unbeaten streak and has an MMA record of 12-3. The outcome of this match will thus be fascinating since a victory might put Strickland back in the running for the 185-pound championship.
UFC Vegas 67: UFC Fight Night Full Card
Main Card
- Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov; Middleweight
- Dan Ige vs. Damon Jackson; Featherweight
- Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov; Middleweight
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Raquel Pennington; Bantamweight
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Raoni Barcelos; Bantamweight
Preliminary card
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Claudio Ribeiro; Middleweight
- Mateusz Rębecki vs. Nick Fiore; Lightweight
- Mateus Mendonça vs. Javid Basharat; Bantamweight
- Allan Nascimento vs. Carlos Hernandez; Flyweight
- Daniel Argueta vs. Isaac Dulgarian; Featherweight
- Jimmy Flick vs. Charles Johnson; Flyweight
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Sijara Eubanks; Flyweight
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