The UFC returns for the first card of 2023 as Nassourdine Imavov rises the ranks to fight late replacement, Sean Strickland.
Imavov, #12 Middleweight, is faced with a rare opportunity. He has suddenly gone from defending his ranking to trying to enter the top 10, with Strickland sitting at #7. Strickland’s ranking is up in the air right now, with back-to-back losses to champion Alex Pereira and split decision loss to Jared Cannonier. Strickland is the first in the modern UFC to headline the last and first events of back-to-back years. The main event will be at Light Heavyweight to accommodate the late notice change.
The prelims kick off at 9pm GMT on BT Sport and UFC Fight Pass. The main card starts at midnight (Sunday morning) on BT Sport.
UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs Nassourdine Imavov
Imavov, 4-1 in the UFC, has beaten some decent names in the past. His most recent win against Buckley, in France, was his most impressive. Gastelum, whilst ranked lower, has the name value that many others ranked above him would not bring. However, there is a significant style change from Gastelum to Strickland. Sean’s laid-back, tight guard counter-striking style is different to Gastelum’s long, straight and meat-and-potatoes 1-2.
Imavov seems to have the advantage on the mat, although the numbers do not reflect it – Imavov is yet to have a submission in the UFC, and they even out on the takedown frequency. On the other hand, Sean has three submissions in his 25 wins, so we shall see how the ground game plays out.
Even with the Christmas break, headlining two back-to-back events is difficult. It’s not like the previous fight ended quickly, either. Even for a stoic like Sean Strickland, there will no doubt be a toll on his body. On the other hand, his losses are to two of the top fighters in the division and is a big step up from Gastelum. The fight will definitely be an interesting one.
Staff picking Strickland: Lewis Simpson, Lewis Glover, Patrick McCorry Shaun Clarke
Staff picking Imavov: Billy Darlington, Ella Earle, Ben Evans
Featherweight – Ige vs Jackson
Dan Ige, now 1-4 in his last 5, is struggling to look up to his Contender Series potential. A tough fighter who works on pressure and numbers, Ige tends to get caught in phone-booth battles a bit too much. Ever since he took the step up to start fighting better fighters, Ige has struggled with three decision losses on the trot. Whilst not being a low-level featherweight, with all of his losses being current, past or likely title contenders, it appears Ige may have reached the ceiling for his career.
In order to prove me wrong, Ige must take on surging 145er Damon Jackson. Jackson is 5-1 in the UFC, another relentless and untiring fighter. Jackson’s last knockout over Pat Sabatini was an incredible watch, and the fact his brother passed only a few days before made it even more inspirational.
This weekend offers Jackson a chance to enter those rankings. At #13, Ige is looking to defend his position, and potentially his job in the UFC. Ige has the potential to knock Sabatini out early but other than that, I see very little ways for him to win the fight. Jackson being the underdog is a surprising choice for me, but I have been proven wrong before.
Staff picking Ige: Lewis Simpson
Staff picking Jackson: Billy Darlington, Ella Earle, Lewis Glover, Patrick McCorry, Shaun Clarke, Ben Evans
Middleweight – Soriano vs Kopylov
Punahele Soriano came into the UFC 8-0 with seven first round finishes. I certainly had my eye on him, especially considering his debut was a tough scrap against Brendan Allen. He lost via decision. He then lost another decision to Nick Maximov. I thought that we had lost another prospect, which was a shame, but then he knocked out Dalcha Lungiambula 30 seconds into the second round. He kept his place in the UFC and now takes on Roman Kopylov.
Kopylov goes into the bout with the same 9-2 record. Kopylov was knocking everybody out prior to the UFC, but since then has been lacklustre in the UFC. He hasn’t been particularly active, with only one fight per year since 2019. His third fight in the UFC was his first win, and his most recent one, and is his shortest turnaround between UFC fights so far.
Ultimately the fight was made because it is a close one and somebody has the potential to go to sleep. On the one hand, Soriano has poor takedown defence and will struggle in that department, despite having a wrestling background. On the other, Kopylov is not the most clinical wrestler in the division. A close fight, but I can just about see Kopylov edging it.
Staff Picking Soriano: Ben Evans, Shaun Clarke, Ella Earle, Lewis Simpson, Lewis Glover, Patrick McCorry
Staff picking Kopylov: Billy Darlington
Bantamweight – Vieira vs Pennington
Probably the most important fight on the card title contention wise, another close fight sits on our main card. Vieira is coming off the back of a win against former champ Holly Holm. Her skill set is not one dimensional – her BJJ and wrestling is definitely her strong point, but her striking is slowly catching up.
Pennington, whilst absolutely deserving of her top ten position, tends to struggle against the more advance of the division. With two losses to Holm and losses to Nunes and de Randamie, if she wins this fight it will be one of the first times she has stepped up and succeeded. She is on a good streak of 4 wins since 2020, but with Vieira being the step up she is, I lean towards Ketlen for this one.
Staff picking Vieira: Billy Darlington, Patrick McCorry, Ben Evans, Shaun Clarke, Ella Earle, Lewis Glover, Lewis Simpson
Staff picking Pennington:
Bantamweight – Nurmagomedov vs Barcelos
Umar Nurmagomedov (yes, cousin of that Nurmagomedov) comes into this fight 3-0 in the UFC. With his name value, he had plenty of expectations and has definitely lived up to that so far. With two submissions in three wins, Nurmagomedov has had a very good start to what many believe will be a long career in the UFC.
Barcelos is certainly no cakewalk for the Dagestani. He is 3-2 in the UFC, with a recent win over Trevin Jones in October. Barcelos has a decent ground game despite not having many submissions, but another question is whether it will hold up to that famous Dagestani wrestling. If Raoni stays standing, he has a chance. If he doesn’t, he is definitely in trouble. Nurmagomedov comes off of 11 minutes of control time in his last 15 minutes against Nate Maness.
Nurmagomedov is the biggest favourite on this card, and I can see why. I think Barcelos has a small chance, but I really cannot see this going any other way.
Staff picking Nurmagomedov: Billy Darlington, Patrick McCorry , Ben Evans, Shaun Clarke, Ella Earle, Lewis Glover, Lewis Simpson
Staff picking Barcelos:
UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs Nassourdine Imavov
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
