1. Early Life and Background
Nassourdine Imavov's personal origins trace back to Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russia, where he was born to an ethnic Kumyk family. His upbringing involved a significant move to France at a young age, which shaped his early engagement with combat sports and his eventual professional career.
1.1. Childhood and Introduction to Combat Sports
At the age of nine, Nassourdine Imavov and his family relocated from Dagestan, Russia, to Salon-de-Provence, France. It was in France that he began his journey into combat sports, initially starting with boxing at the age of ten. This early exposure to martial arts eventually led him to discover mixed martial arts. When he was 19, Imavov made a pivotal move to Paris with his older brother, Daguir, where they joined the renowned MMA Factory, a professional training facility under the guidance of coach Fernand Lopez. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2016.
2. Mixed Martial Arts Career
Nassourdine Imavov's professional fighting career spans several years, marked by a consistent progression through various organizations and a notable ascent within the Ultimate Fighting Championship's middleweight division.
2.1. Early Career
Imavov embarked on his professional mixed martial arts career in 2016, building a record of 8 wins and 2 losses before his eventual signing with the UFC. During this period, he established a five-bout winning streak, demonstrating his rising potential in the sport. A significant achievement during this phase was securing the Thunderstrike Fight League Welterweight Championship in 2019. One of his notable victories prior to joining the UFC was a first-round technical knockout (TKO) against former UFC welterweight Jonathan Meunier at ARES FC 1 on December 14, 2019, held in Dakar, Senegal. This fight was contested at a catchweight of 176 lb (176 lb). On September 28, 2019, he secured the TFL Welterweight Championship by defeating Mateusz Głuch via submission (kimura) in the first round at Thunderstrike Fight League 18 in Kozienice, Poland. His middleweight debut occurred on July 26, 2019, when he defeated Francesco Demontis via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round at Devil's Cage: La Gabbia del Diavolo in Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy.
2.2. Ultimate Fighting Championship
Imavov made his highly anticipated UFC debut on October 4, 2020, facing Jordan Williams at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He secured a victory via unanimous decision in what was described as a wild and foul-filled fight.
His second UFC bout took place on February 20, 2021, against Phil Hawes at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite a strong late surge, Imavov lost the fight via majority decision.
On July 24, 2021, Imavov returned to the octagon to face Ian Heinisch at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw in Las Vegas, Nevada. He dominated the bout, winning via technical knockout in the second round with a knee and punches.
Imavov continued his impressive run by facing Edmen Shahbazyan, who was ranked #11 in the middleweight division, on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268 in New York City, New York. Imavov delivered a powerful performance, winning via TKO in the second round due to a barrage of elbows from the crucifix position.
A scheduled bout against Kelvin Gastelum, ranked #13, on April 9, 2022, at UFC 273 was unfortunately canceled as Imavov was forced to withdraw due to visa issues.
His next fight was against Joaquin Buckley on September 3, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris, France. In a hard-fought contest, Imavov emerged victorious via unanimous decision.
Imavov was once again slated to fight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 217. However, Gastelum withdrew due to a mouth injury, leading to a short-notice replacement by Sean Strickland, who was ranked #7 in the middleweight division. The bout was moved to the light heavyweight division due to the late change. Imavov, who had already begun cutting weight for the middleweight division, weighed 194 lb (88 kg) compared to Strickland's 204 lb (92.5 kg) at the weigh-ins. Imavov lost the fight via unanimous decision after five rounds.
Returning to the middleweight division, Imavov faced Chris Curtis, ranked #14, on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The fight ended in a no contest in the second round after an accidental clash of heads caused a severe cut above Curtis's eye, rendering him unable to continue. Despite Curtis's 100% takedown defense success rate, Imavov managed to secure three takedowns before the accidental foul.
Another planned fight against Ikram Aliskerov on October 21, 2023, at UFC 294 was also cancelled after Imavov withdrew due to ongoing visa issues. Warlley Alves replaced him.
Imavov then headlined UFC Fight Night 235 on February 3, 2024, against Roman Dolidze, who was ranked #8. Imavov won the bout via majority decision after five rounds, despite being deducted one point in the fourth round for an illegal soccer kick to a downed opponent.
On June 8, 2024, Imavov faced Jared Cannonier, ranked #4, at UFC on ESPN 57 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. He secured a victory via technical knockout in the fourth round due to a series of standing punches, though the referee's stoppage was considered by some to be "horribly early."
Imavov continued his rise by facing Brendan Allen, ranked #8, on September 28, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris, France. He won the fight by unanimous decision after three rounds and subsequently called for a title shot.
His most significant victory came on February 1, 2025, when he faced former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, who was ranked #2, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 250 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Imavov won the fight via technical knockout in the second round after dropping Adesanya with a right straight and following up with ground and pound. This impressive performance earned him his first "Performance of the Night" award.
3. Championships and Accomplishments
Nassourdine Imavov has earned several significant accolades throughout his mixed martial arts career:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Israel Adesanya
- Thunderstrike Fight League
- TFL Welterweight Championship (One time; former)
4. Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 16-4 (1) | Israel Adesanya | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov | February 1, 2025 | 2 | 0:30 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 15-4 (1) | Brendan Allen | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis | September 28, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Win | 14-4 (1) | Jared Cannonier | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov | June 8, 2024 | 4 | 1:34 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 13-4 (1) | Roman Dolidze | Decision (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov | February 3, 2024 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Imavov was deducted one point in round 4 due to an illegal soccer kick. |
| NC | 12-4 (1) | Chris Curtis | NC (accidental clash of heads) | UFC 289 | June 10, 2023 | 2 | 3:04 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Return to Middleweight. Accidental clash of heads rendered Curtis unable to continue. |
| Loss | 12-4 | Sean Strickland | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov | January 14, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 12-3 | Joaquin Buckley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa | September 3, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Win | 11-3 | Edmen Shahbazyan | TKO (elbows) | UFC 268 | November 6, 2021 | 2 | 4:42 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 10-3 | Ian Heinisch | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw | July 24, 2021 | 2 | 3:09 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 9-3 | Phil Hawes | Decision (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis | February 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9-2 | Jordan Williams | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana | October 4, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Return to Middleweight. |
| Win | 8-2 | Jonathan Meunier | TKO (punches) | ARES FC 1 | December 14, 2019 | 1 | 4:27 | Dakar, Senegal | Catchweight (176 lb (176 lb)) bout. |
| Win | 7-2 | Mateusz Głuch | Submission (kimura) | Thunderstrike Fight League 18 | September 28, 2019 | 1 | N/A | Kozienice, Poland | Won the TFL Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 6-2 | Francesco Demontis | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Devil's Cage: La Gabbia del Diavolo | July 26, 2019 | 1 | 2:26 | Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 5-2 | Gregor Weibel | Decision (unanimous) | City Cage MMA 1 | May 17, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Luzern, Switzerland | |
| Win | 4-2 | Gary Formosa | TKO (punches) | Centurion FC 2 | November 4, 2017 | 1 | 2:02 | Paola, Malta | |
| Loss | 3-2 | Michał Michalski | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Exclusive N/A | October 14, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Wrocław, Poland | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 3-1 | Paul Lawrence | TKO (punches) | Centurion FC 1 | May 13, 2017 | 1 | 2:43 | Paola, Malta | |
| Win | 2-1 | Yanis Cheufre | Submission (brabo choke) | Fight Night One 4 | April 8, 2016 | 1 | 2:32 | Saint-Étienne, France | |
| Win | 1-1 | Said Magomed Tachaev | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Gladiator Fighting Arena 3 | March 5, 2016 | 1 | 3:20 | Nîmes, France | |
| Loss | 0-1 | Ayadi Majdeddine | Submission (guillotine choke) | 100% Fight 27 | February 4, 2016 | 1 | 4:49 | Paris, France | Welterweight debut. |