Nassourdine Imavov has an enormous alternative this weekend.
In combating, the brand new are sometimes constructed off of, and fed upon, the outdated. Anderson Silva was fed to Israel Adesanya. Tyron Woodley was fed to Kamaru Usman. Jose Aldo was fed to Max Holloway.
That is the character of combating. However there have been many who had been considered the subsequent to take over that didn’t pan out: Dominick Reyes to Jon Jones, Chael Sonnen to the aforementioned Silva. Imavov has a fork within the highway forward of him.
Beating the outdated and new
Nassourdine Imavov has beat some nice names already within the division. Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze. However he lacks that marquee win. That win that truly means one thing. Nicely, the UFC is giving him an opportunity now.
None are trickier than Israel Adesanya. A wealth of expertise, Adesanya is not any simple out, even at 35 years of age. However Nassourdine Imavov has been handed exhausting fights earlier than. He’s come up brief in some, like in opposition to Sean Strickland, and he’s overcome some, like Allen.
Now Imavov finds himself within the fifth ranked spot of the UFC’s middleweight division. He’s taking over the quantity two fighter. And with Du Plessis and Strickland already combating together with Khamzat Chimaev chomping on the bit to get a title shot, Imavov can’t afford a boring struggle, even when it goes his method.
Nassourdine Imavov should win convincingly
No person has convincingly beat Israel Adesanya exterior of Dricus Du Plessis and arguably Sean Strickland. Jan Blachowicz layed on him. Alex Pereira was dropping a struggle and caught him in spherical 5. Adesanya has already avenged that as effectively.
However the catch there’s Du Plessis and Strickland had been his two most up-to-date fights. Each had been losses for Adesanya. Israel Adesanya has by no means misplaced two in a row earlier than he fought Du Plessis. He’s by no means misplaced three in a row interval.
Nassourdine Imavov has the chance to be that individual at hand Adesanya his third on the trot. This might see Adesanya go right into a tailspin like legends earlier than him: Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Tony Ferguson, and Chuck Liddell.
However Imavov has to win. He has to exit and placed on a present. He has to carry out. Not solely does he have the toughest puzzle in entrance of him in Israel Adesanya, however he has the UFC brass, who would a lot reasonably see Chimaev take the title shot subsequent, watching intently. Lose and even win boringly and Nassourdine Imavov shall be overtaken by Chimaev to get the winner of Du Plessis and Strickland. The stakes are excessive.
