It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Nassourdine Imavov.
The UFC middleweight kicked off his 2023 fight campaign by losing his first opponent, Kelvin Gastelum, then accepted a short-notice bout against 185-pound basket case Sean Strickland — only to drop a five-round decision in the UFC Vegas 67 main event.
Now the Parisian will be stuck on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
“Hi guys, surgery on my ankle went great and now I’ll need to go easy on it for the next few months,” Imavov wrote on Twitter. “Rest will be the key, but don’t worry I won’t let myself go and I’ll use these coming months wisely, to get better in every other aspect I can!”
Imavov, 27, is currently ranked No. 12 at 185 pounds.
Prior to his Strickland loss, the 12-4 Parisian captured three in a row, including a technical knockout victory over fellow middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan. No word yet on when Imavov is expected to make his Octagon return, but late 2023 seems likely.