Everyone has been saying Nassourdine Imavov’s name wrong, apparently. Everyone!
Nassourdine Imavov shocked the world on Saturday by knocking out Israel Adesanya in the second round of their middleweight contender’s match in Saudi Arabia.
The fight was viewed by many casuals as a soft rebound for Adesanya after some tough losses at the championship level. But those paying attention would have seen the 29-year-old Imavov beat Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen in 2024. They would have known Imavov was on a serious upswing.
Even if they didn’t know how to pronounce his name.
After finishing Adesanya, Imavov took to the mic and declared … he wanted people to start saying his name properly?
Thank God Nasssourdine Imavov acknowledged the repeated mispronunciation of his surname. Unacceptable.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) February 1, 2025
“My name is Eem-ma-vov,” he explained to Paul Felder. “It’s not Imamov, Imamoo, je ne sais pas quoi. Imavov!”
That was in response to an endless parade of broadcasters and announcers saying it wrong, something UFC A-team commentator and pronunciation king Jon Anik was tired of witnessing.
“Thank God Nassourdine Imavov acknowledged the repeated mispronunciation of his surname,” he tweeted. “Unacceptable. I heard dozens of talking heads mispronounce his surname all week.”
But it turns out that it gets worse! Not only does Imavov regularly get his last name mispronounced, his first name is also said wrong everywhere but in Dagestan due to some sloppy transliteration from Arabic to Cyrillic to French.
After defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC Saudi Arabia, Nassourdine Imavov clarified how his name was pronounced correctly.
It is NaSRUddin, not NaSURddin (Nassourdine). He’s Nassourdine only in France. In Dagestan and for his mom he’s Nasruddin. He doesn’t mind either though. pic.twitter.com/ngnOBTBJxS— PAM (@ParamPam1990) February 2, 2025
Nassourdine’s name in Arabic is ???? ?????, while in Russian it is ?????????, or Nassurdin, hence Nassourdine. But a closer phonetic spelling used in other transliterated Arabic names is Nasreddin or Nasruddin, pronounced Nas-roodin.
“Feel free to use either,” Imavov said with a laugh before explaining, “Nasruddin. But in France it is Nassourdine. Nasruddin is the correct way. This is what they call me in Dagestan and how my mother calls me.”
So if you want to get real snobby with your international UFC fighter name pronunciations, forget saying ‘Adesanya’ with an authentic Yoruba lilt. That’s old news. Pronounce Nassourdine Imavov’s name 100% authentically, the way his mother does. You’ll be one of five people that does it.