LAS VEGAS, NV- There is no love lost between “The Action Man” and Nassourdine Imavov.
Imavov picked up the biggest win of his UFC career tonight at UFC Vegas 85 (Sat., Feb. 3, 2024), when he defeated No. 8 ranked Roman Dolidze via majority decision from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Imavov improved to 1-1 in main events.
During the fourth round of his fight with Dolidze, Imavov hit his opponent with an illegal kick which prompted a little chaos. Chris Curtis, who was cornering Dolidze and fought Imavov to a no-contest at UFC 289, started talking to trash the French fighter after the kick, which infuriated him to the point where veteran referee Herb Dean had to hold him back.
Watch the footage below:
WE GOT BAD BLOOD AT THE APEX #UFCVegas85 pic.twitter.com/2w8VjNAG4j
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 4, 2024
After his win, Imavov criticized Curtis in his post-fight in-cage interview.
“Huge respect for Roman Dolidze because he got head kicked and kept fighting. Chris Curtis wouldn’t have done that,” Imavov said.
MMAMania.com reached out to Curtis after the event to get his response, and he simply said via text message: “Let’s do it for 5.”
A main event is what Curtis was asking for after his recent win against Marc Andre Barriault at UFC 297, so it makes sense for the top 15 Middleweight.
Imavov was asked about a potential rematch against Curtis (the pair of Middleweights fought to a no-contest after an accident headbutt) during the UFC Vegas 85 post-fight press conference, and he has no intention of fighting “The Action Man” … in the Octagon.
“I’m not at all interested in 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 complete UFC Vegas 85 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.