UFC middleweights Chris Curtis and Joaquin Buckley will both be fighting in Europe this year — but not against each other.
While Curtis has stepped up to take on Jack Hermansson after Darren Till dropped off the UFC London event later this month, Buckley (15-4), who recently called out “The Action Man,” will instead get French middleweight Nassourdine Imavov (11-3) at UFC Paris.
UFC officials recently announced the pairing, which was first reported by French outlet La Sueur.
Buckley will enter the fight on a three-fight win streak, most recently having defeated Albert Duraev in June. The fight ended when the cageside physician waved off the contest following the second round.
Imavov has won two straight, defeating struggling prospect Edmen Shahbazyan last November, and Ian Heinisch before that. “The Russian Sniper” had been booked for a high-profile scrap with Kelvin Gastelum earlier this year, but was forced out of the fight due to visa issues.
UFC Paris takes place September 3, 2022 at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, and marks the UFC’s debut in the country. A heavyweight match-up between former interim champ Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa headlines. Thus far, the following bouts have been announced for the Fight Night card:
- Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
- Jéssica Andrade vs. Manon Fiorot
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov
- Zarah Fairn Dos Santos vs. Ailin Perez
- John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
- Joaquin Buckley vs. Nassourdine Imavov
