Nassourdine Imavov secured his first win in a UFC main event against Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 85, despite a point deduction for an illegal kick and a heated exchange with Chris Curtis, one of Dolidze’s coaches.
Saturday saw Nassourdine Imavov snag his first UFC main event win. But, with his verbal tussle with Chris Curtis during and post-fight, you’d be forgiven for forgetting he actually bested Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 85.
Imavov’s performance over five rounds was largely dominant. Yet, he found himself in a sticky situation after a brutal head kick sent Dolidze crashing to the canvas.
The catch? Dolidze had a hand on the mat. That made the kick illegal, and referee Herb Dean deducted a point from Imavov.
It could’ve been worse. Dean warned Imavov to stay in a neutral corner or risk disqualification after a heated exchange with Curtis. Curtis, one of Dolidze’s coaches, had a previous run-in with Imavov. An accidental clash of heads prematurely ended their 2023 fight, resulting in a no-contest on Imavov’s record.
“First off, I’m not too chuffed with [this fight],” Imavov said at the UFC Vegas 85 post-fight press conference. “I try to stay as focused as I can. But sometimes my wild side can come out a little bit. I think it’s a lot because of the experience I’ve got in the cage over the years.”
He added, “I liked the performance. Just didn’t like that I got a bit angry at one point during the fight.”
What got under Imavov’s skin? Curtis chirping at him from the corner. This led to a shouting match between the former opponents, complete with a pair of middle fingers thrown in the air.
“I was upset because Chris Curtis keeps talking in every fight he’s cornering,” Imavov said. “It’s not his job as a cornerman to talk to the fighter. When I went up against him, he was silent. He got dominated, and he even quit the fight because of the headbutt. I just wanted him to shut up and let me fight.”
Despite his disdain for Curtis, Imavov tipped his hat to Dolidze. He admired Dolidze for not taking the easy way out after the illegal kick.
“Roman is a real warrior,” Imavov said. “He kept fighting even though he could have stopped. A lot of respect, thank you so much Roman for that. Unlike his cornerman, he’s not a quitter like Chris Curtis.”
Post-win, Imavov called for a rematch against Sean Strickland. He lost a five-round decision to the ex-UFC middleweight champion in early 2023. But, he’s already heard calls for a different rematch, considering the bad blood with Curtis.
Unfortunately, Imavov doesn’t seem interested. He claimed Curtis previously turned down a rematch and is now returning the favor.
“Before Roman Dolidze, we proposed [Chris Curtis] a rematch in UFC Paris. He declined. Refused,” Imavov said. “I’m not at all interested in Chris Curtis. He’s so low in the rankings. Plus, I dominated him. He couldn’t do anything in the cage.”
“But you know, if he really wants to keep talking, I can go to his gym. We can do a real tough sparring session and I’m going to destroy him as I did in the cage.”
Rivalry aside, Imavov is ready to move forward. He wants to stay busy for the rest of 2024 and loves the idea of appearing on a future UFC card in Paris. The city has become an annual stop for the promotion over the past two years.
Imavov isn’t even worried about taking the main event slot there. He just wants to compete close to home in France.
“I want to fight as much as possible,” Imavov said. “I want to stay very active in the division. It’s very possible [headlining UFC Paris] could happen.”
“Right now there’s a lot of French [fighters] going up the ranks, and I’m very happy for that. There’s no competition between us French, we just want to go to the top. I could be main event in Paris, I could be co-main event. Whatever happens. I’m going to be very happy fighting in Paris.”