Athletes
Nassourdine Imavov Is Coming Into His Own
MMA Factory Standout Eager To Show Hometown Paris Crowd What He's Made Of
In the UFC’s first event in Paris, Nassourdine Imavov gets his first opportunity to fight in front of his adopted home crowd, competing alongside MMA Factory teammate and former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, who headlines Saturday’s card against Tai Tuivasa.
“Not so long ago, this was unimaginable,” Imavov said regarding UFC’s first ever event in France. “I never imagined fighting in Paris in front of my fans and now it’s almost here. And now, in addition to having a teammate like Ciryl Gane fighting on the same night, in a way, we go to war with our team.”
Don't Miss Any UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa Live Saturday From Paris, France
Imavov has shown constant improvement since he first stepped foot inside the Octagon in October of 2020. Earning three wins in his four UFC bouts, he rides a two-fight winning streak into the weekend with impressive victories over Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan.
Each of those bouts followed a similar pattern: methodically wearing his opponent down with crisp striking, then attacking the finish when the opening arises. This patience earned Imavov TKO victories, both in the second round.
Next in line to try and stop the Dagestan-born striker is Joaquin Buckley, a 15-4 knockout artist known for his spinning back kick KO of Impa Kasanganay, a highlight that most MMA fans deem one of the best finishes of all-time.
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Despite having full and utter confidence that he’ll extend his winning streak to three, Imavov enjoys the spectacle of fighting an entertaining opponent, and wants to put on a show for his French supporters.
Nassourdine Imavov Thrives In The Spotlight | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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Nassourdine Imavov Thrives In The Spotlight | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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“I expect to win the next one the same way, in the second round,” Imavov said. “I’ll try to keep the fight going to give a real show, to give the audience something to look forward to. It must not end too soon. My opponent has a big mouth, so we’re going to punch him a bit, and in the second round we will finish the job.
“He’s an aggressive opponent who doesn’t back down, who goes forward all the time and who has a strong mind. He has a good mentality and that’s why we wanted him as an opponent. It’s good to fight at home in Paris, it’s good to win, but we want to put on a show. He’s the perfect match for this.
GET READY FOR PARIS: Fight By Fight Preview | Fighters On The Rise
“It could be both Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night. I think it’s going to be a real war; it’s going to be a big fight. He keeps on moving forward, I keep on moving forward, and that’s it. No one will back down, and we will hit hard and one of us will fall. And I already know who.”
If he can defeat Buckley in as entertaining a fashion as he’s predicting, it’s safe to assume the 26-year-old can break into the UFC middleweight division’s Top 10. But Imavov believes that a win isn’t enough these days to make that jump from a rising star to a credentialed top contender.
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What’s missing is hype. Hype when his name gets mentioned at the commentator’s desk or the flood of comments online when a future fight is announced. To earn that, he will try and improve on his last two performances and earn a highlight of his own against Buckley in front of his French supporters in Accor Arena.
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“I won’t move up much,” Imavov said regarding his place in the UFC middleweight division if he’s able to defeat Buckley in Paris. “I might get into the Top 10, because I think I deserve it. Winning is good, but putting on a show is also important; it will give me more hype, and that’s what I need.”
“I love having supporters, I love when it gets loud, I love when the camera is focused on me. It will definitely motivate me; it will be good for me. Maybe you noticed, I’m getting better after every fight, and my last fight was even better because there was a crowd and a lot of noise. So, this fight will be even better than that.”
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa took place on September 3, 2022, live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
