Nassourdine Imavov record: Which fight of the Frenchman was ruled a no-contest?
Nassourdine Imavov’s latest fight was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental clash of heads.
In October 2020, Imavov made his UFC debut with a professional MMA record of 8-2. ‘The Russian Sniper’ started with a unanimous decision win against Jordan Williams before suffering a minor setback due to a majority decision loss against Phil Hawes.
Following his disappointing defeat against Hawes, Imavov temporarily silenced the doubters by securing back-to-back second-round KO/TKO wins against Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan. He continued building momentum by defeating Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision.
Unfortunately for Imavov, the 2023 calendar year wasn’t kind to the Russian-born middleweight. Firstly, he suffered a close unanimous decision loss at the hands of Sean Strickland, who went on to become the UFC 185-pound world champion.
In June 2023, Imavov fought in his latest Octagon appearance against Chris Curtis at UFC 289. The fight started to heat up before the middleweights accidentally clashed heads, leading to a massive cut above Curtis’ right eye.
The doctor entered the Octagon and determined Curtis couldn’t continue, ending the fight with a no-contest. There was plenty of time left for ‘The Action Man’ to turn things around, but it should be noted that Imavov won round one on all three judges' scorecards.
Who and when is Nassourdine Imavov fighting next?
Things may not have gone Nassourdine Imavov’s (12-4) way in 2023, but The MMA Factory affiliate shouldn’t be overlooked in 2024, as he’s the number 11-ranked UFC middleweight. Luckily for him, the 27-year-old has a massive opportunity to make a statement in his first fight of the calendar year.
On Feb. 3, the UFC will return to the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 85. In the main event, Imavov looks to get back on track by taking out the always-dangerous Roman Dolidze (12-2), who is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Marvin Vettori.
Before losing against Vettori, Dolidze was riding an impressive four-fight win streak. Therefore, the Georgia-born fighter is ranked number eight in the middleweight division. With a win against Imavov, the 35-year-old could find himself against a top-five-ranked opponent later this year.
As for Nassourdine Imavov, a win in the UFC Vegas 85 main event could push him into the top 10 and put the middleweight division on notice.