After a week-long break, the UFC had a beautiful line up of amazing fights at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February 2024. The main card included Moicano vs Dober, Silva vs Araujo, Brown vs Salikhov, Khizriev vs Muradov, and Radtke vs Urbina. Headlining the event was the middleweight bout between #8-ranked Roman Dolidze vs. #11-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
The fight was off to an intense start with Imavov almost scoring a KO in the opening round. The Paris-based fighter lept at Dolidze and delivered a series of unobstructed blows to the midsection and head. The husky Georgian almost did not make it through the first round and consistently blocked and ducked to avoid Imavov attacks. Imavov exhibited tenacity and accuracy with his strikes as he rained down blows and punches on his opponent. He backed him to a corner and offering no leeway. Dolidze showed gusto and tried to look for the clinch to slow down the strikes but found no reprieve. After backing Dolidze to a corner, Imavov unleashed a series of punches. He followed with a nasty combination of an uppercut followed by a knee to the midsection that saw Dolidze gasping on the canvas.
Luckily, Dolidze survived the initial onslaught after the rapid fire in the first and second rounds. Imavov was back on the offence by the third. Imavov was hoping for a first-round knockout but settled for destroying Dolidze in every round. He remained a superior striker through all five rounds. However, he landed a head kick to Dilodze in the fourth round while he was still on all fours. Referee Herb Dean swiftly paused the fight to check on Dolidze. As he tended to him, an argument broke out between Imavov and his former opponent, Dolidze coach, Chris Curtis.
The referee issued Imavov a warning of disqualification before he finally settled down. The foul move on Dolidze almost cost Imavov the fight. He was docked a point for the illegal strike instead. The fight continued with enthusiasm and gusto, with both opponents landing blows. However, Imavov proved to be the better fighter and landed more devastating strikes.
Dolidze made it to the final horn, but he lost. The fight ended with final scorecards reading 49-44,48-46,47-47. This resulted in a majority decision win for Imavov and an elevation in the UFC middleweight ranking.
In an interview after the fight, Imavov talked about how his striking technique was a determining factor in the fight. ‘I knew my striking was my best advantage. Going into this fight, my coaches advised me to give a lot of jabs in the match, but although my hand hurts, I am happy with my striking,’ he said. When asked what he would like to see next time he steps into the octagon, Imavov replied: “Firstly, I want to thank all my coaches, my training partner and my brother, who’s a phenomenal fighter and ranked #15, but regarding my performance and my next fight I wanna fight against Sean Strickland”.
When asked about his confrontation with Chris Curtis, he said, “he talks too much, but when he was in the cage with me, he didn’t do anything…”.He also acknowledged his illegal strike on Dilodze, “Huge respect to Roman Dilodze because he got head kicked and he kept fighting. Chris Curtis wouldn’t have done that and Dolidze is the man”.
With 4-1 no contest in his past fights, Imavov remains a formidable opponent in the middleweight division. The fighter is keen on getting into the cage with Strickland after losing a decision in January 2023 but might face Chris Curtis instead in his next bout.
