UFC Fight Night Main Event Preview: Adesanya vs. Imavov
The UFC heads to Saudi Arabia for a rare afternoon main event featuring former longtime middleweight champion Israel Adesanya taking on No. 5-ranked Nassourdine Imavov. Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is set for a rematch with No. 1-ranked Sean Strickland in 10 days, while No. 3-ranked Khamzat Chimaev remains without a scheduled fight. A strong performance on Saturday by either Adesanya or Imavov could compel the matchmakers to set up a title eliminator against Chimaev
Adesanya is 35 and is trying to delay Father Time’s arrival for one more run at the title. His last fight was a competitive back-and-forth battle with champion Du Plessis, who eventually won by submission in the fourth round. ‘Izzy’ showed flashes of the greatness that placed him among the all-time middleweight greats, but he was down on the scorecards when he was submitted by a rear-naked choke.Imavov has been climbing the rankings with victories over Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, and Roman Dolidze.
Izzy’s path to victory appears to be maintaining distance while utilizing his reach and kickboxing skills. Imavov has struggled with leg and body kicks in previous fights, a weakness Adesanya will undoubtedly look to exploit from the start.
Imavov needs to make this a ‘dirty’ fight by forcing Adesanya backward while closing the distance to land his own shots. He may also look to grapple, as he likely believes he has the advantage if the fight goes to the ground. Adesanya, at times, has struggled with grappling, so Imavov and his team could view this as a weakness.
My expectation is that this fight stays standing and both fighters realize how important this opportunity is in front of them and they let the hands go. My prediction is this fight does not go the distance and will win Fight of the Night and the winner faces Chimaev in a #1 Contenders Fight.
