Nassourdine Imavov had a bit of a rocky 2023, with a loss to Sean Strickland — who went on to win the UFC’s middleweight championship — and a No Contest following a fight with Chris Curtis.
France’s Imavov (12-4, 1NC) is staying positive however, despite not securing a win since his September 2022 victory against Joaquin Buckley in Paris. He’s looking at the past 12 months or so as experience.
“It’s true that 2023 was a pretty complicated year. But you know, I got a lot of experience, and I want it to serve me well on Saturday and to show how much I got better during this year,” Imavov said during this week’s UFC Vegas 85 media day, speaking via translator.
The fight with Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 85 is Nassourdine Imavov’s second main event in the UFC. The first came against Strickland, with Imavov dropping a decision.
“Last time was the first time I did five times five. It’s like the UFC and life gave me a second chance to shine, so I’m going to take this chance and shine on Saturday.”
Going into the fight with Georgia’s Dolidze, Imavov noted that his opponent had spent time at 205lbs. “I think he’s a really good fighter. We know he’s going to be really strong, because he was a light heavyweight. So a really good fighter, and I’m happy to go against him.”
No doubt all the happier because of where Dolidze sits in the rankings. Dolidze comes in at #8, ahead of Imavov who is ranked #11 in the middleweight division.
“Ranking is very important to me. Once you got into the top ten or the top five, at any point you can fight for the belt, and the belt is the goal, my main focus,” stated Imavov. “So I want to be there and be able to fight for the belt.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 85 media day appearance by Nassourdine Imavov above.
