Nassourdine Imavov was originally supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Fight Night 217. However, only a week before the event, Gastelum suffered a mouth injury that rendered him incapable to fight. Luckily, Sean Strickland volunteered to replace him, and now he’s going to fight his second fight in the space of under a month.
Sean Strickland vs Nassourdine Imavov Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sean Strickland | +100 |
| Nassourdine Imavov | -125 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, January 14, 2023
- Time: ~8:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Sean Strickland Is Back in the Octagon
Sean Strickland is 25-5 in his professional career with a 12-5 record since joining the UFC in 2014. Two of those losses happened in his previous two fights. First, he lost to Alex Pereira (KO), who went on to become the UFC Middleweight champion a few months later.
In his most recent fight, Strickland lost to Jared Cannonier by a split decision. The main reason why that fight is important is that it happened less than a month ago – on December 17, 2022.
Despite losing, Strickland did well in that fight, keeping up with The Killa Gorilla until the final bell. He didn’t get KO-ed then, but this time he’s taking on a much bigger fighter. Nassourdine Imavov is four inches taller than Strickland’s previous rival.
Nassourdine Imavov Could be The Next Big Thing in the UFC
Nassourdine Imavov (12-3) is a Dagestan-born French fighter who started his pro-MMA career in 2016. He lost on his debut, but then went on to make a name for himself in European promotions. Finally, in 2020, he caught the eye of the UFC promoters.
Since joining the most competitive MMA company, he’s 4-1 with his only loss happening to Phil Hawes by majority decision. Two of his UFC wins happened by TKO, while in his most recent fight, he defeated Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision.
Imavov is favored to win on Saturday and there are several reasons for that. First of all, he’s been training for this event for months; Strickland hasn’t. Secondly, he seems like the kind of fighter who could beat Strickland on any given day.
Imavov is fast, strong, and agile with plenty of weapons in his arsenal. He lands 4.08 significant strikes per minute in the UFC, which explains why his nom de guerre is The Russian Sniper. He also makes 0.95 takedowns per fight and is very good on the floor – as you’d expect from a mixed martial artist born in Dagestan.
Sean Strickland vs Nassourdine Imavov Prediction
Strickland fought Cannonier for 25 minutes less than a month ago. After enduring such hell, he simply had to rest for a couple of weeks, suggesting that he simply cannot be ready for another high-intensity fight.
That said, we’re almost 100% certain Strickland isn’t going to last for another five bouts. Instead, Imavov is going to deal with him much sooner.
Pick: Nassourdine Imavov to win inside the distance