Sean Strickland calls Kelvin Gastelum a “lazy f*ck” ahead of Jared Cannonier fight at UFC Vegas 34

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland called Kelvin Gastelum a “lazy f*ck” ahead of the Jared Cannonier fight at UFC Vegas 34.

Strickland is the No. 8 ranked middleweight in the UFC following his win over Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 33, and Gastelum is ranked one spot behind him at No. 9. Next Saturday night, Gastelum takes on Cannonier in a high-profile middleweight fight between top-10 fighters. Ahead of the matchup, Strickland spoke to MMA journalist James Lynch and was asked about his thoughts on the Gastelum vs. Cannonier fight. Strickland did not hold back, ripping Gastelum for being “lazy” while admitting he does have a chance to beat Cannonier.

“Kelvin is such a lazy f*ck. To have somebody with so much potential but to be just such a lazy motherf*cker…,” Strickland said. “It depends. If Kelvin is not being a little f*cking bitch and he’s training hard and he’s hitting the gym, he’s working, if he’s not going wandering over f*cking Brazil making friends, then Kelvin has a legitimate shot (at beating Cannonier). But if Kelvin is being a lazy f*ck and going all over the world taking pictures of people, then he’s gonna have a bad night.”

Gastelum is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker earlier this year, while Cannonier lost to Whittaker last fall, so this matchup makes a lot of sense just based on their last common opponent. While Strickland was critical of Gastelum, who has been at times criticized for his inability to make the 170lbs weight class, he also admitted that it’s a fight that he can win. But as one of the top middleweights in the world right now, Strickland has no problem telling it like it is, even though Gastelum won’t like the remarks.

Do you agree with Sean Strickland that Kelvin Gastelum is not realizing his full potential in the UFC?