Last Year Wasn’t Ideal For Nassourdine Imavov, But The Middleweight Standout Is Keen To Show What It Taught Him in 2024
Nassourdine Imavov entered 2023 on a three-fight winning streak, parlaying a victory in Paris over Joaquin Buckley into an opportunity to headline the first UFC event of the year opposite Kelvin Gastelum.
A handful of days before that event, Gastelum suffered an injury and was replaced by Sean Strickland, who halted Imavov’s run of success to begin his improbable run to the middleweight title. Six months later, the Russian-born, Paris-based hopeful stepped in with Strickland’s close friend and teammate, Chris Curtis, at UFC 289, dominating the action before an accidental clash of heads brought the fight to a halt midway through the second round, resulting in a no contest.