Nassourdine Imavov hopes to leapfrog Khamzat Chimaev as No. 1 contender after UFC Battle Evening 250.
Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) within the Feb. 1 headliner at ANB Area in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Within the UFC 311 post-fight information convention, Dana White stated Chimaev might be subsequent in line for a title shot. But when Imavov can choose up his fourth win in a calendar yr, he thinks his resume may even be worthy of a title combat.
“In fact, relying on the efficiency, I can get the following title shot,” Imavov instructed MMA Junkie by an interpreter. “It may be Khamzat. The truth that I went for 4 fights in a single yr, two prime 5, two prime 10, that’s one thing very vital.
“I’m by no means turning down any fights, and that’s one thing the UFC likes quite a bit. So we’ll see what occurs. For now, I’m specializing in my subsequent combat, and we’ll see after that.”
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his title in a rematch in opposition to Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC), which headlines UFC 312 Feb. 8 at Qudos Financial institution Area in Sydney. The primary card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Imavov, whose most up-to-date loss got here in a lightweight heavyweight essential occasion in opposition to Strickland in January 2023, is selecting Strickland to regain his title from Du Plessis. Nevertheless, he laughed at his striking-only proposal to the champion.
“I believe Strickland will win the combat,” Imavov stated. “And for the striking-only pact, it’s MMA. You don’t resolve the foundations. If you wish to do solely placing, go to kickboxing.”
Imavov appreciates Adesanya taking the combat in opposition to him, particularly that the previous five-time defending UFC middleweight champion has nothing left to show in his profession.
“It’s a really respectable determination as a result of he didn’t need to take the combat, however it tells quite a bit about his mentality,” Imavov stated of Adesanya. “The truth that he’s able to combat in opposition to anybody, and he’s not executed, he’s not completed, he’s going to be targeted, he’s going to be hungry – it’s going to be the perfect Israel Adesanya we’ve seen in years, and that’s why we need to combat in opposition to him.”
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