Nassourdine Imavov wants Khamzat Chimaev's title shot with UFC Saudi Arabia win vs. Adesanya
Nassourdine Imavov hopes to leapfrog Khamzat Chimaev as No. 1 contender after UFC Fight Night 250.
Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the Feb. 1 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the UFC 311 post-fight news conference, Dana White said Chimaev is probably next in line for a title shot. But if Imavov can pick up his fourth win in a calendar year, he thinks his resume will also be worthy of a title fight.
"Of course, depending on the performance, I can get the next title shot," Imavov told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. "It can be Khamzat. The fact that I went for four fights in one year, two top five, two top 10, that's something very significant.
"I'm never turning down any fights, and that's something the UFC likes a lot. So we'll see what happens. For now, I'm focusing on my next fight, and we'll see after that."
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his title in a rematch against Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC), which headlines UFC 312 Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Imavov, whose most recent loss came in a light heavyweight main event against Strickland in January 2023, is picking Strickland to regain his title from Du Plessis. However, he laughed at his striking-only proposal to the champion.
"I think Strickland will win the fight," Imavov said. "And for the striking-only pact, it's MMA. You don't decide the rules. If you want to do only striking, go to kickboxing."
Imavov appreciates Adesanya taking the fight against him, especially that the former five-time defending UFC middleweight champion has nothing left to prove in his career.
"It's a very respectable decision because he didn't have to take the fight, but it tells a lot about his mentality," Imavov said of Adesanya. "The fact that he's ready to fight against anyone, and he's not done, he's not finished, he's going to be focused, he's going to be hungry – it's going to be the best Israel Adesanya we've seen in years, and that's why we want to fight against him."
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Nassourdine Imavov wants Khamzat Chimaev's title shot with UFC Saudi Arabia win vs. Adesanya
