Keeping his win streak alive, and in front of his home crowd, Nassourdine Imavov picked up a crucial victory over the equally surging Brendan Allen in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 243. After being put on his back for the majority of the first round, Imavov proceeded to pick “All In” apart for the rest of the bout, denying almost all of Allen’s takedowns and outlanding him on the feet. It was a close fight, but in the end, the Frenchman got his hand raised, earning a trio of 29-28s on all three judge’s scorecards.
Coming out on top in what is being considered a title eliminator by some pundits, Imavov may have just punched his ticket to a massive showdown with middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. But with previous opponent Sean Strickland having beaten Paulo Costa last June and with Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev facing off in a pivotal matchup next month, Imavov finds himself in murky waters. In any case, however, the French striking specialist will undoubtedly be set up against a high-profile opponent in his next trip to the Octagon.
Now, let’s take a look at who Nassourdine Imavov could fight next.
Sean Strickland
In the very first fight card of 2023, future 185-lb. titleholder Sean Strickland clashed with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 217. Originally slated to face Kelvin Gastelum in the main event, Imavov soon was in need of a new adversary after the Ultimate Fighter winner pulled out of their bout due to injury. Stepping up on less than a week’s notice, Strickland answered the call and the fight was changed to a light heavyweight contest, with “Tarzan” getting the unanimous decision win.
Now, more than a year later, Imavov has improved by leaps and bounds since the loss, going unbeaten in his next four fights. Competing three times in 2024 alone, he has racked up victories over the likes of Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and, most recently, Brendan Allen.
Strickland has also achieved much since sharing the cage with the Frenchman on that cold Las Vegas night. He next went on to finish the prospective Abus Magomedov, dethrone the legendary Israel Adesanya, and dominate Paulo Costa for five rounds earlier on in the summer at UFC 302.
Should either of these two not get the next shot at the middleweight strap, a runback between them will more than likely produce the next challenger to the throne. For Imavov, a win over Strickland will satisfyingly right one of the few setbacks of his booming UFC career.
Israel Adesanya
Last month, former five-time defending champion Israel Adesanya lost a heartbreaking match to Du Plessis, succumbing in the fourth round to a rear naked choke from the champion. Standing far from the top where he once dominated, “The Last Stylebender” will need to reestablish himself against the next wave of up-and-coming standouts should he wish to contend for his belt once more.
For the streaking Imavov, a victory over one of the greatest mixed martial artists in history would do wonders for his chances at putting himself in title contention. It also adds even more credibility to him being labeled as a top-tier striker in the promotion, if not the entire sport.
Dricus Du Plessis
In the event Strickland or the winner of Whittaker and Chimaev doesn’t fight for the title next, then the only bout to make for Imavov is against current 185-lb. kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.
Across his last three contests, Imavov has looked immaculate in the stand up department, beating some of the best strikers in the division like the aforementioned Dolidze and Cannonier. With Du Plessis not particularly known for his defense, Imavov, on paper, stands to be a nightmare for the South African on the feet.
But for all the Frenchman’s boxing abilities, “Stillknocks” isn’t the kind of fighter to stay upright for very long, as he boasts an air-tight wrestling and submission ability that has allowed him to defeat other masterful strikers in the forms of Darren Till, Strickland, and Adesanya. This complete tool kit is the reason why Du Plessis now resides at the No. 6 spot on the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
