French fighter born in Dagestan Nassourdine Imavov will fight Georgian Roman Dolidze in the main event of UFC Vegas 85 on the night of February 4 in the middleweight division.
Bet on MMA with 1xBet
In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net Imavov told:
- why his fight against Ikram Aliskerov and the second fight against Chris Curtis failed;
- how dangerous Roman Dolidze is;
- why he believed in Sean Strickland even before the fight with Israel Adesanya;
- how his brother is negotiating a move to the UFC;
- what Francis Ngannou can do in a fight with Anthony Joshua;
- why he doesn't want to move down to welterweight.
"I'm glad they matched me up against someone like Dolidze"
- Your last fight with Chris Curtis was ruled a no contest. What do you think about the fight before the head clash?
- This fight started well. I controlled it and everything was going my way. I was disappointed because I didn't show my full potential. I started off easy, I didn't push myself hard. The plan was to go steady for the first two rounds so I don't get tired, and by the end of the second and third rounds I was going to give it my all and try to finish the fight. It didn't come to that, I was disappointed that I couldn't demonstrate everything that we had worked on in the gym.
- Magomed Ankalaev got a second fight with Johnny Walker in a similar situation. Did you have an option to have a second fight against Curtis, or was it no longer relevant?
- Of course, we wanted to fight him again in France at the tournament in September, but he didn't want to fly to France. After that we gave up on this idea and started looking for another opponent.
- Your fight with Ikram Aliskerov was canceled at the last moment. Even before that your trainer Rasul Magomedaliev said that he did not believe that this fight would happen. What was the matter?
- I had problems with my visa. The UFC is in charge of this question. Two weeks before the fight they said that I would have to be pulled out. They didn't want to take any chances. If I didn't have a visa, they wouldn't have enough time before the fight and they wouldn't be able to find a replacement for Aliskerov. That's why they removed me two weeks before the fight.
- What is your opinion of such a powerful opponent as Roman Dolidze?
- He really is a powerful fighter, he is physically strong. He used to compete in the light heavyweight division. He has a lot of power and good grappling. I'm very happy that I was matched up against such an opponent.
"I said that Strickland is uncomfortable for a lot of people even before his fight with Adesanya"
- Your former opponent Sean Strickland is famous for his pungent and emotional statements. Is that the reason why the judges denied him the victory in a very close fight with Dricus du Plessis?
- To be honest, I don't know. The fight was really very close, but to me Strickland won. Maybe these statements actually influenced the judges, I don't know.
- Did it come as a surprise to you when he became champion?
I told my friends even before the fight with Israel Adesanya that he is a very uncomfortable opponent for a lot of top level fighters. That's what we saw in his fight with Adesanya. He's a good kickboxer who has had a lot of fights, but Strickland beat him in striking because he's uncomfortable.
- Your brother Dagir has been successful in the Ares company lately. Does he have any chances to fight in the UFC in the near future?
- There are no negotiations yet, but they are happening from time to time. We first tried to negotiate in 2016, then in 2023. Now we took a break, but hopefully there will be a chance to get there again soon.
- In France, MMA is on the rise. Is it possible that pop MMA, which has become very widespread in Russia and Poland, can appear there as well?
- So far, there's no such thing.
- How do you feel about Francis Ngannou's boxing performances? What do you expect from him in the fight with Anthony Joshua?
- He can be surprising. We've already seen that against Fury. Ngannou hits hard, so he can land a punch at any time. Of course, Joshua is more technical and he should win, but Ngannou can surprise him.
Bet on MMA with 1xBet"I recently had sparring sessions at Mayweather's gym"
- Boxing is your base, do you miss it? Would you like to try your hand at it?
- I would. I still have boxing practice at a good gym. I was recently at Floyd Mayweather's gym and had sparring sessions. A fellow club member was sparring there and it was interesting for me to spar. Of course, I want to train in boxing and have some fights.
- You were underweight for the fight with Strickland at 93 kg, and you generally don't lose a lot of weight during the cuts. Have you thought of moving to welterweight?
- I didn't consider this option. I want to increase my weight and continue to compete at 84 kg. Now I have already gained a couple of kilograms and I feel good at 84 kg. This category fits me, because I am pretty tall - 187 cm. It would be a bit difficult to lose weight up to 77. I would be able to do it, but I prefer to perform at 84 kg.
- Did you decide to increase your muscle mass to have better wrestling?
- For my overall strength gain, yes.
- What do the French think of Napoleon? Is he a positive or negative historical figure for them?
- It depends. Some praise him, and some don't even know about him.
Bet on MMA with 1xBet
