Former interim UFC middleweight title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum is out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 67 headliner against Nassourdine Imavov on January 14. – due to a mouth injury. As per an initial report from ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto as per UFC officials, Gastelum has been replaced by middleweight contender, Sean Strickland, who now […]
Former interim UFC middleweight title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum is out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 67 headliner against Nassourdine Imavov on January 14. – due to a mouth injury.
As per an initial report from ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto as per UFC officials, Gastelum has been replaced by middleweight contender, Sean Strickland, who now faces Imavov at a short notice light heavyweight limit on January 14.
“First UFC main event of 2023 has underwent a last-minute change,” Okamoto tweeted. “Gastelum out with a mouth injury, Sean Strickland has agreed to replace him against Imavov. Five rounds, but now 205 pounds per UFC officials. This is now back to back UFC events headlined by Strickland.”
First UFC main event of 2023 has underwent a last minute change. Gastelum out with a mouth injury, Sean Strickland has agreed to replace him against Imavov. Five rounds, but now 205 pounds per UFC officials. This is now back to back UFC events headlined by Strickland. pic.twitter.com/ivg7VXl0qT
Headlining UFC Vegas 66 just last month in the final promotional event of 2022, Sean Strickland suffered a close, contentious split decision loss against one-time title challenger, Jared Cannonier.
12-3 as a professional, Russian-born middleweight contender, Imavov is currently in the midst of a three-fight winning run, most recently beating Joaquin Buckley, to add to finishes over Edmen Shahbazyan, and Ian Heinisch.
Sean Strickland will attempt to snap a two-fight losing skid
Attempting to snap a run of two consecutive losses, Strickland dropped a stunning first round KO loss against current middleweight champion, Alex Pereira back in July of last year during International Fight Week.
Suffering from five losses in his last six promotional outings, Gastelum dropped back-to-back headliners against former champion, Robert Whittaker, and the aforenoted, Cannonier over the course of 2021.
Touted as a future top-contender at the middleweight limit, Imavov’s sole promotional loss came in a dubious decision defeat against Phil Hawes, following a debut success against Jordan Williams.
Seeing a seven-fight winning run halted against Pereira last summer, the outspoken Strickland most recently defeated Jack Hermansson in a main event tilt last February.
UFC Vegas 67 takes place on January 14. from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Former interim UFC middleweight title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum is out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 67 headliner against Nassourdine Imavov on January 14. – due to a mouth injury. As per an initial report from ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto as per UFC officials, Gastelum has been replaced by middleweight contender, Sean Strickland, who now […]
Former interim UFC middleweight title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum is out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 67 headliner against Nassourdine Imavov on January 14. – due to a mouth injury.
As per an initial report from ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto as per UFC officials, Gastelum has been replaced by middleweight contender, Sean Strickland, who now faces Imavov at a short notice light heavyweight limit on January 14.
“First UFC main event of 2023 has underwent a last-minute change,” Okamoto tweeted. “Gastelum out with a mouth injury, Sean Strickland has agreed to replace him against Imavov. Five rounds, but now 205 pounds per UFC officials. This is now back to back UFC events headlined by Strickland.”
First UFC main event of 2023 has underwent a last minute change. Gastelum out with a mouth injury, Sean Strickland has agreed to replace him against Imavov. Five rounds, but now 205 pounds per UFC officials. This is now back to back UFC events headlined by Strickland. pic.twitter.com/ivg7VXl0qT
Headlining UFC Vegas 66 just last month in the final promotional event of 2022, Sean Strickland suffered a close, contentious split decision loss against one-time title challenger, Jared Cannonier.
12-3 as a professional, Russian-born middleweight contender, Imavov is currently in the midst of a three-fight winning run, most recently beating Joaquin Buckley, to add to finishes over Edmen Shahbazyan, and Ian Heinisch.
Sean Strickland will attempt to snap a two-fight losing skid
Attempting to snap a run of two consecutive losses, Strickland dropped a stunning first round KO loss against current middleweight champion, Alex Pereira back in July of last year during International Fight Week.
Suffering from five losses in his last six promotional outings, Gastelum dropped back-to-back headliners against former champion, Robert Whittaker, and the aforenoted, Cannonier over the course of 2021.
Touted as a future top-contender at the middleweight limit, Imavov’s sole promotional loss came in a dubious decision defeat against Phil Hawes, following a debut success against Jordan Williams.
Seeing a seven-fight winning run halted against Pereira last summer, the outspoken Strickland most recently defeated Jack Hermansson in a main event tilt last February.
UFC Vegas 67 takes place on January 14. from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sean Strickland will step up on days’ notice to face Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Vegas 67 main event on Saturday. This after former interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum withdrew with a mouth injury. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto w…
Sean Strickland will step up on days’ notice to face Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Vegas 67 main event on Saturday. This after former interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum withdrew with a mouth injury. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the news of Strickland/Imavov and Gastelum’s withdrawal. According to UFC officials, Strickland…
Sean Strickland will step up on days’ notice to face Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Vegas 67 main event on Saturday. This after former interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum withdrew with a mouth injury. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto w…
Sean Strickland will step up on days’ notice to face Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Vegas 67 main event on Saturday. This after former interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum withdrew with a mouth injury. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the news of Strickland/Imavov and Gastelum’s withdrawal. According to UFC officials, Strickland…
Nassourdine Imavov will headline the first UFC card of 2023 when he takes on experienced middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Imavov is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC octagon and finds himself up against a competitor in Kelvin Gastelum who is on a […]
Nassourdine Imavov will headline the first UFC card of 2023 when he takes on experienced middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Imavov is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC octagon and finds himself up against a competitor in Kelvin Gastelum who is on a much different career trajectory.
Leading up to this bout with Gastelum, Nassourdine Imavov took time to speak with James Lynch of LowKickMMA, discussing the anticipation surrounding his upcoming bout.
Pertaining to his most recent victory over Buckley in Paris, Imavov states:
“It was huge to fight for the first UFC in Paris. It’s been a long time that we’re awaiting the UFC in France and I’m very happy to win in Paris with my people.”
Nassourdine Imavov Thankful to Finally Fight Gastelum
January 14th will be Imavov’s sixth appearance in the UFC, and for the first time, he finds himself as a main event headliner. Speaking about this opportunity, he continues:
“It’s a very good thing it’s the first time for me, and I can’t wait to be here for the main event…I’m not really surprised (to be in the main event), I knew that it would happen. My coach said to me that it would happen; I’m not surprised I’m just very happy.”
Imavov vs. Gastelum was a fight originally scheduled to be a part of the UFC 273 card back in April, and finally, in January of 2023, it comes to fruition. Nassourdine offers up his comments about the fight being rebooked:
“I’m very glad that I can fight Kelvin Gastelum now. I was disappointed that the fight was canceled, but now I’m very glad and happy to fight against the big name that Kelvin Gastelum is.”
Imamov Talks About Gastelum as an Opponent
Kelvin Gastelum is certainly a big name and a veteran of the UFC octagon. Gastelum has previously been a title challenger in his career and has fought numerous legends of the game along his journey. Although Gastelum hasn’t enjoyed a victory since February of 2021, he still remains one of the most dangerous and durable Middleweights on the UFC roster. Imavov takes a portion of the interview to talk about the matchup with Gastelum and how their styles will clash:
“Kelvin is a very tough guy; I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a warrior like me and I think his style and my style will be a big fight. But I’m here, I’m also a warrior and I think one of us will (go) down… Kelvin has been in the UFC for a very long time, and he has fought a lot of guys… He’s a young fighter but he has a lot of experience. He has taken a lot of damage over his career and that’s a good thing for me.”
On fight night, Imavov will be cornered by his head coach Fernand Lopez but will also be joined by a few others that are special to Imavov. Nassourdine reveals two other cornermen that will support him for this fight:
“(Lopez) will be in my corner but my big brother Ibrahim will also be here, my true sparring partner will be here, and maybe Cyril Gane also.”
Imavov on Training with Cyril Gane
Fellow Frenchman Cyril Gane has enjoyed much success in the UFC, and Imavov reflects on his opportunity to train with someone of Gane’s level. He goes on to speak very highly of Gane:
“I love to train with Cyril Gane. I learned a lot with Cyril and when I talked with him, I’m aware that I have a lot of obstacles in front of me, and I want to take it the same way. (Cyril’s) always smiling, and he always has a very good ambiance in the gym.”
Prediction for Fight with Gastelum
Nassourdine Imavov was asked how he thinks this fight will play out, and his overall strategy for facing such a tough opponent. To this question, Imavov answered:
“Before my fight against Joaquin Buckley, I had two victories by knockout. My last win was on points, but I will do everything to knock him out. But I’m aware that he will do the same thing. Me, I will try everything to make him a knockout for sure. Of course, a fight of five rounds is not like three rounds. Everything is longer and harder, and my sparring and training are more difficult.”
The long-awaited return of the UFC will take place on January 14th as Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum headline Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Imavov looks to continue his win streak, putting his number 12 ranking in the middleweight division on the line. No.13 ranked Kelvin Gastelum looks for his first win since 2021 and a chance to move closer to another title shot. UFC fans around the world, tune in and watch as these Middleweight warriors go to battle.
Watch below for the full interview with Nassourdine Imavov:
The UFC has grown exponentially in the years since its inception way back in 1993. While the sport of MMA has come a long way since the days of groin strikes, headbutts and Tank Abbott, the demands placed on the global leader to satisfy an ever-growing audience in this social media-driven world has led to […]
The UFC has grown exponentially in the years since its inception way back in 1993. While the sport of MMA has come a long way since the days of groin strikes, headbutts and Tank Abbott, the demands placed on the global leader to satisfy an ever-growing audience in this social media-driven world has led to a swollen roster of contracted fighters.
The need to provide content to fulfil contractual obligations with TV networks has meant an increase in the overall number of events the UFC are pumping out these days. There are 53 shows scheduled to take place in 2024 alone, between pay-per-view events and ‘Fight Night’ cards, spread out over international locations such as Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Abu Dhabi, Australia and of course, the United States.
With many of these events taking place in the relatively low-key surroundings of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, some of these cards have become less about putting fans in seats and more about ticking off fights on some fighters’ contracts. The biggest names are being kept for the pay-per-views and the rest are being wheeled out with the sole purpose of filling in the gaps.
This Saturday’s Fight Night event (set to be headlined by a strawweight rematch between Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba) is another card loaded with fights lacking in jeopardy and unlikely to have any telling effect on the title picture in any of the UFC weight divisions.
With that in mind, let’s look at five of the more underwhelming main events the UFC have offered up so far in 2024.
Roman Dolidze vs Nassourdine Imavov, UFC Fight Night, February 3rd (UFC Apex)
The UFC’ had a somewhat slow start to 2024. January brought us an underwhelming Fight Night card followed by a PPV event in Canada that lacked star names outside of the main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. Coming into February, UFC fans were desperately in need of some high-stakes entertainment.
The Apex middleweight showdown between Dolidze and Imavov was not it. A main card entirely devoid of ranked fighters (outside of the main event) offered up one draw and four decisions, with only Randy Brown’s first-round knockout of Muslim Salikhov managing to give viewers something to get them out of their seats.
Both main event fighters came into this event in stuttering form. Dolidze hadn’t been seen in competitive action since losing to Marvin Vettori eleven months earlier, while Imavov was coming off the back of a difficult 2023. A decision loss to Sean Strickland early in the year was followed by his summer bout with Chris Curtis being declared a “no contest” after an accidental clash of heads.
A majority decision victory for Nassourdine Imavov after twenty-five less-than-inspiring minutes followed. Both fighters picked up victories last month and seem to be rising through the ranks at 185lbs, but their clash at the Apex last February is not one that will live long in the memory of many UFC fans.
Joe Pyfer vs Jack Hermansson, UFC Fight Night, February 10th (UFC Apex)
A week later, with UFC 298 on the horizon and the MMA news cycle being dominated by the build-up to Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria, fans were treated to another Apex event with a middleweight headliner. This time, admittedly, there was a little more intrigue surrounding the headline match-up as Joe Pyfer was coming off the back of an unbeaten start to his UFC career. “Bodybagz” had won all three of his fights inside the Octagon to that point, and finishes over Alen Amedovski, Gerald Meerschaert and Abdul Razak Alhassan had earmarked the 26-year-old as a fighter worth keeping an eye on.
Jack Hermansson looked like he was being positioned as the man to give up his place in the rankings to Pyfer. The Swede was returning from a year-long absence due to injury and had lost three of his previous five bouts at 185lbs. Against the odds, however, Hermansson derailed the Pyfer hype train and, after a strong opening two rounds from Pyfer, “The Joker” picked off his opponent from range over the remainder of the fight and walked away with a 48-47 scorecard from each of the three judges.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev, UFC Fight Night, March 2nd (UFC Apex)
UFC 298 and the Fight Night that was held in Mexico City a week later gave fans a reminder of how good the atmosphere can be when big crowds and exciting fights are paired together. Ilia Topuria’s title victory in Anaheim, California followed by Brandon Royval’s win over Brandon Moreno the following week meant February had its’ fair share of entertainment inside the Octagon.
Fans were brought back down to earth with a bang on March 2nd however, as perennial heavyweight gatekeeper Jairzinho Rozenstruik was paired with Shamil Gaziev. Although Gaziev came into this event unbeaten at 12-0, the Bahraini fighter had only made one appearance inside the Octagon so far and many fans seemed perplexed at his positioning in the headline slot of a UFC event so soon.
Image: Jairzinho Rozenstruik IG
The gulf in class was evident as Gaziev was utterly dominated by “Bigi Boy” from the off. After four one-sided rounds, a bruised and battered Gaziev was deemed unfit to continue following an inspection by referee Marc Goddard. Not only did Gaziev pick up the first loss of his professional career, his positioning in the main event slot so soon after signing with the UFC drew plenty of criticism from fans and fighters alike.
Marcin Tybura vs Tai Tuivasa, UFC Fight Night, March 16th (UFC Apex)
Just two weeks later, in the wake of UFC 299, the “new normal” resumed in the UFC Apex as heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa collided in the main event of an event that featured such names as Ange Loosa, Isaac Dulgarian and Brian Battle on the main card.
Tybura’s first-round submission victory would be his eighth win in ten fights helping the Polish fighter break into the top ten of the UFC’s heavyweight rankings. His opponent however was riding a three-fight losing streak coming into this bout and with the Australian taking significant damage in his defeats to Cyril Gane, Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich, the discussion among the MMA community in the wake of this defeat centred around whether or not “Bam Bam” should retire.
As it would turn out, Tybura made quick work of Tuivasa and the fight didn’t even see two minutes of action. Another underwhelming main event into the books, then.
Derrick Lewis vs Rodrigo Nascimento, UFC on ESPN+ 32, May 11th (St. Louis)
April brought fight fans one of the most memorable fight cards in the history of the sport. UFC 300 was packed from top to bottom with current or former champions, and the knockouts delivered by Alex Pereira and Max Holloway during the main card will go down in history as two of the most exciting finishes inside the Octagon.
Lewis knocked out Nascimento in the main event but the fight failed to cause a ripple in the heavyweight rankings. “The Black Beast” had lost four of his previous six fights and is unlikely to enter the heavyweight title discussion anytime soon, while Nascimento had won three consecutive split-decision victories over unranked opponents prior to facing Lewis.
It seems in the modern world of the UFC, for every title fight or number-one contender match-up fans are granted, they are doomed to sit through multiple filler events behind closed doors at the UFC Apex.
Nassourdine Imavov will headline the first UFC card of 2023 when he takes on experienced middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Imavov is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC octagon and finds himself up against a competitor in Kelvin Gastelum who is on a […]
