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Nassourdine Imavov Rallies for Big Win in UFC Paris Co-Main Event

Imavov and Brendan Allen tried to make their respective cases for a title shot at UFC Paris.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

The co-main event of UFC Paris saw top contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen square off in a pivotal middleweight fight.

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Booked as the penultimate bout at UFC Paris before the main event between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis, the middleweight tilt saw Allen enter the night on an eight-fight win streak that earned him a #8 ranking in the division.

Imavov was coming off back-to-back wins that included a fourth-round TKO against former title challenger Jared Cannonier in his last outing, and the 28-year-old's recent body of work put him four spots higher than Allen in the middleweight hierarchy.

"Russian Sniper" was slightly favored to win the fight when the cage door closed in front of a raucous crowd in Paris, and after spending most of the opening round on his back Imavov rallied to take the next two rounds and secure his third win in a row.

The middleweight co-main event featured as part of a UFC Paris main card that kicked off with back-to-back knockouts from French fighters Fares Ziam and Morgan Charriere, and Imavov kept the Paris crowd on its feet when his performance followed William Gomis' win over Joanderson Brito.

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The win puts Imavov on the short list of potential challengers for UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis after the South African defended his belt against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, but Dana White and the UFC matchmakers will likely wait until Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev meet at UFC 308 before deciding on the promotion's next middleweight title bout.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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