Tag: Nassourdine Imavov

Jack Hermansson: Nassourdine Imavov fight makes sense after UFC Fight Night 236 upset of Joe Pyfer

Jack Hermansson calls out Nassourdine Imavov following his decision win over Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 236.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] already has a name in mind following his most recent win in the octagon.

This past Saturday, Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) derailed the hype train of prospect Joe Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 236, which went down at the UFC Apex. Hermansson defeated Pyfer, winning 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards.

And now back in the win column, Hermansson wants a ranked name, specifically [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag].

“I just watched the rankings and I fought a lot of guys up there, and I obviously can’t fight an unranked opponent and go directly to the top, so I need to fight someone close to me in the rankings,” Hermansson said at the UFC Fight Night 236 post-fight press conference. “I think he makes the most sense at the moment.”

Hermansson was able to get back to the win column with the victory over Pyfer, as he was coming off a December 2022 loss to Roman Dolidze. Hermansson, 35, felt he was being used to build Pyfer, and was glad to remind the MMA world he’s still a contender at middleweight.

“He didn’t have a ranking and I feel like he had more exposure than I did for this fight, but I understand why,” Hermansson said. “He has an amazing story, he’s coming through the contender series, and he has a lot of eyes on him. He should get the shot like this, but then you also need to perform to take it to the next level, and I was not going to be that stepping stone.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Feb. 6: Nassourdine Imavov makes gain at 185 pounds

Nassourdine Imavov is closing in on a top 10 ranking at middleweight after his main event win at UFC Fight Night 235.

The combat sports slate was relatively thin on the first weekend of February, which allowed UFC Fight Night 235 to capture the attention of the MMA world.

A handful of fights on the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas impacted their respective divisions, but none more so than the main event, which saw [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] improve his stock at middleweight with a majority decision victory over Roman Dolidze.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Nassourdine Imavov after UFC Fight Night 235 win?

Nassourdine Imavov put a troubling 2023 behind him with a UFC Fight Night 235 main event win and is now relevant again at middleweight.

The career trajectory of [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] took another positive step forward Saturday when he earned his first UFC main event win against Roman Dolidze.

Imavov (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) outworked Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to a majority decision win in the UFC Fight Night 235 middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The Frenchman now puts a winless 2023 behind him and tries to make noise at 185 pounds, but who should be his next opponent?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Imavov’s future after UFC Fight Night 235.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 post-event facts: Randy Brown is on the rise

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 235, which saw Randy Brown continue his run of success in the loaded welterweight division.

The UFC opened its four-event February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) achieved his first octagon main event win to close out the card when he outworked [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to a majority decision in their matchup of ranked UFC middleweights.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Drew Dober’s $21,000 tops card

UFC Fight Night 235 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 235 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 235 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 235 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Aliaskhab Khizriev[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Azat Maksum[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pete Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blake Bilder[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marquel Mederos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Landon Quinones[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamal Pogues[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2351 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $615,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,322,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

Nassourdine Imavov explains what triggered Chris Curtis spat, shuts down UFC rematch

Throughout the UFC Fight Night 235 main event, Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis exchanged words. Here’s why.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] is not a fan of [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]. The feelings seemingly are strong and mutual.

The UFC Fight Night 235 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex was filled with drama. A foul by Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) against grounded opponent Roman Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) upset Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who was there to serve as a cornerman. The negative energy continued to spiral.

After Imavov beat Dolidze by majority decision, Curtis was seen giving the middle finger to the rival who just defeated his teammate.

Despite the extracurricular distractions, Imavov got the victory – but he wasn’t happy with it.

“I try to be as focused as I can,” Imavov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I try to stay focused on the cage, to stay calm, but sometimes my wild side can happen a little bit. I stayed as focused as I could be focused. I think it’s a lot because of the experience that I got into the cage with the years.”

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Imavov and Curtis fought at UFC 289 in June. The bout ended in a no contest due to a clash of heads, but a rivalry started at that same moment.

“I was upset because the guy, Chris Curtis, kept talking in every fight he’s cornering,” Imavov said. “He keeps talking to me. This is not his job as a cornerman to talk to the fight. When I went into the cage against him, it was very silent. He got dominated and he even quit the fight because of the head butt. I just want him to stop talking and let me fight.”

“… Roman is a real warrior. He kept fighting even though he could’ve stopped fighting. I have a lot of respect. Thank you so much, Roman, for that – as opposed to his cornerman, who is a quitter, like Chris Curtis.”

Following his victory, Imavov called out former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, another teammate of Curtis, during his in-cage interview with Daniel Cormier.

An Imavov vs. Curtis rematch seemed to sell itself to many fans online. Those with their fingers crossed for a grudge match in the immediate future will be let down, however, should Imavov have his way.

“I’m not at all interested by Chris Curtis,” Imavov said. “First of all, he’s so low on the rankings. Second of all, I did a masterclass against him. I just dominated him. He couldn’t do anything in the cage. But if he really wants to keep talking, I can go to his place, his gym, and we can do a real tough sparring session. I’m going to destroy him as I did in the cage.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 results: Nassourdine Imavov dominates gutsy Roman Dolidze, exchanges words with Chris Curtis

A second fight almost broke out in the middle of the UFC main event after Nassourdine Imavov fouled Roman Dolidze.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] successfully notched his first UFC main event win Saturday in a largely dominant performance that also featured some mid- and post-fight drama.

After five rounds of fighting, Imavov (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) defeated [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46). The middleweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 235 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dolidze survived an onslaught of attack late in Round 1. Imavov dropped him to the canvas, pounded away, grabbed the back and tried more ground-and-pound from there. At the end-of-round horn, Dolidze appeared to be a bit disoriented as he banged a stumbling U-turn back to his corner.

The second round and early parts of the third were a lot of clinching with each man controlling the position at different points. When they separated one minute in Round 3, both appeared to be tired.

Imavov’s right hand proved to be money, with two big ones landing on Dolidze’s dome during Round 3. Dolidze grabbed hold of Imavov and slowed the tempo for a bit, but Imavov landed another big right as soon as separation occurred.

An unusually heated moment occurred in Round 4 when Imavov grabbed hold of Dolidze’s back in the clinch. Dolidze put one hand on the canvas, which made him a grounded fighter, according to the Unified Rules of MMA.

Imavov kicked Dolidze in the head anyway – a foul. Referee Herb Dean called time. The foul, however, caused a reaction from Dolidze’s corner, which included fellow UFC fighter Chris Curtis. Imavov and Curtis fought in June. That bout was ruled a no contest due to a clash of heads.

As Imavov exchanged words through the cage with Curtis, he began to make a move toward his opponent’s corner. Dean intervened and dragged Imavov back tot he opposite corner before he tended to Dolidze, who ultimately gave the high-sign he was good to go.

The foul did not go unpunished. Dean deducted a point from Imavov.

Although he showed guts throughout the entirety of 25 minutes, Dolidze’s luck in the final five did not change. He hung in there with Imavov, but ultimately lost a unanimous decision.

While Imavov and Dolidze displayed great respect to one another after the fight, the drama involving Curtis continued. Curtis was seen reeling middle fingers up and down at Imavov, who also flipped the bird.

With the victory, Imavov finds a win for the first time in three attempts. His most recent two outings included a loss to Sean Strickland and the no contest vs. Curtis.

For Dolidze, the bout was his first promotional main event. He has now lost back-to-back fights. His previous outing was in March when he lost to Marvin Vettori.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 235 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

Social media reacts to Nassourdine Imavov’s victory over Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night 235

The MMA community reacted to Nassourdine Imavov’s victory over Roman Dolidze in the UFC Fight Night 235 main event.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] is a main event winner for the first time after beating [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 235.

Imavov (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) rebounded from his no contest with Chris Curtis in June with a majority decision victory over Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, moving him a notch higher up the ladder in the ever-evolving middleweight division.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Imavov’s victory over Dolidze at UFC Fight Night 235.

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UFC Fight Night 235 video: Roman Dolidze, Nassourdine Imavov make weight in Las Vegas

The main event for the UFC’s third show of the year is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s third show of the year is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 breakdown: How will Roman Dolidze’s grappling fare against Nassourdine Imavov?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down UFC Fight Night 235 main event between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.