Saudi Arabia is ready to welcome the UFC for a blockbuster MMA fight night event featuring former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya against a new contender on the rise Nassourdine Imavov. The event is scheduled to take place on February 1, 2025, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
After losing the middleweight title against Sean Strickland and failing to regain it against Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya is currently at the point in his UFC career where he needs some good wins over top contenders to come back again into the championship conversation.
Following his recent loss against the current champion Dricus du Plessis, fans were contemplating who would be Adesanya’s next opponent. People wanted to see “The Last Stylebender” back in action against Khamzat Chimaev who would’ve been a hell of a challenge for him, some have also fantasized about Adesanya moving up to the light heavyweight division and fighting either Alex Pereira (C-LHW) or Jiri Prochazka.
Nassourdine Imavov’s name as Adesanya’s potential opponent was mentioned a couple of times, but it was not getting the attention that other match-ups were getting. Some believe Imavov doesn’t have the star power like the other opponents, and there are also people who are definitely sure that Israel Adesanya would totally dominate Imavov.
But, I would like to point out some of the key attributes Nassourdine Imavov possesses that can become problematic for Israel Adesanya in the fight –
How Nassourdine Imavov’s fighting style can beat Israel Adesanya at UFC Saudi Arabia.
When Nassourdine Imavov was announced as Israel Adesanya’s next opponent many people became skeptical about his ability against one of the most decorated strikers in UFC history.
Since Israel Adesanya debuted in the UFC, his fighting style has been a spectacle for the fans. He has been successfully using his kickboxing heavy fighting style inside the octagon against many well-rounded opponents. Because of his mastery over kickboxing and effective takedown defense, he was able to rule the division for such a long haul.
Nassourdine Imavov is knocking on the door to become a prime contender for the middleweight championship and a win over legendary former champion like Israel Adesanya would definitely further cement his chances of fighting for the middleweight belt.
Contrary to the popular belief of many MMA fans, Nassourdine Imavov has many weapons in his arsenal that can pose potential threats to Israel Adesanya, but his main weapons are – (1) Constant Forward Pressure, and (2) Mixing Up Striking with Grappling.
Nassourdine Imavov’s Constant Forward Pressure.
This fight between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov is a five-round main event. So, we are prepared to see various adjustments and tactical changes that the fighters are going to tailor for their respective opponent.
But, it is safe to say both fighters will be interested in keeping the majority of the fight on their feet. Both are highly skilled kickboxers who will look forward to shutting each other’s light out if the opportunity presents itself.
When it comes to striking, it’s hard not to give Israel Adesanya an edge over his opponent. Although Adesanya was on the losing side, his performance against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 was sublime in which he showed some drastic improvements as well.
However, there are some technical reasons why Adesanya kept getting caught in his last couple of fights.
Those who have watched Adesanya’s last few fights, especially his fights against Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland, can clearly point out that forward pressure is something that he doesn’t like to deal with.
Similarly to Pereira and Strickland, Imavov also uses a lot of forward pressure against his opponents. It might not be as prominent, but his aim is definitely to keep the pressure on the entire time he’s on the feet.
A good example would be Imavov’s short-noticed fight against former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Although Strickland was moving forward with his Philly-Shell stance, scoring the rounds with jabs and kicks to the middle, Imavov didn’t just stand outside and dodge them. He made it a little bit dirty by pressuring back against Strickland.
Israel Adesanya on the other side is known for moving laterally when the pressure is on him. He would make the opponent guess his next move by staying outside, keeping this distance, and then sniping the shots or attacking the legs continuously.
It becomes problematic for Adesanya when his opponent restricts his movement by keeping him against the cage. Sometimes in order to land a straight or hook against the cage, Adesanya leaves his guard open for a counter.
Pereira caught him majorly with his left hand against the cage, Strickland picked his shots against the cage (who can forget that sweetly timed right hand in the first round at UFC 293), and DDP also found massive success while following Adesanya against the cage.
Nassourdine Imavov is a much more distinct fighter than Pereira or Strickland, but his nature of driving opponents against the cage and picking shots can become troublesome for “The Last Stylebender”.
Another very overlooked aspect of Imavov’s game is his defense. He has solid head movement, especially inside the pocket. He doesn’t fear exchanging big looping shots with his opponents and most of the time he just dodges the punches effectively. So, he’s not just an easy-to-hit target, Adesanya will have to work hard to find his mark.
Other than the boxing, Imavov also has solid elbows which he uses mostly after breaking up from the clinch. So, random clinching is also dangerous against a fighter like him.
Mixing Up Striking with Grappling.
What makes Imavov more dangerous is his ability to use grappling. He might not be a complete grappler, but he can absolutely use it as a significant advantage against an opponent like Israel Adesanya who is not known for his grappling skills. Mixing up the strikes while threatening with takedowns can be an absolute game-changer for him in the fight.
Nassourdine Imavov has significantly improved his grappling and effectively demonstrated against Jared Cannonier by successfully taking him down 2 out of 3 times, which is not bad for the middleweight division.
Imavov didn’t shoot any takedowns against Brendan Allen, but he was able to turn the position whenever he could. He was able to get in the side control and then land power shots from the top.
I can easily imagine Nassourdine Imavov driving Israel Adesanya against the cage and then shooting for a double leg. It is not going to be easy for him to takedown Israel Adesanya at will, but keeping the pace (at least 10% of Merab Dvalishvili) would work enough for him to secure the victory.
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