In a late turn of events, Sean Strickland steps in to face Nassourdine Imavov in the first main event of 2023, with the fight now taking place at 205 lbs. This comes after Kelvin Gastelum withdrew from the UFC Vegas 67 bout due to a mouth injury. Let’s take a look at the new main event.
UFC Vegas 67: Sean Strickland
Strickland made his UFC debut in 2014, possessing a 25-5 overall record (12-5 inside the UFC). He has ten KO/TKOs and four submissions with eleven decisions. A former King of the Cage champion on the regional scene, he has built himself into a very experienced fighter over the years. The 31-year-old earned himself the #7 ranking in the middleweight division since his move up from welterweight. He was on a six-fight win streak including notable wins over Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall and, Jack Hermansson before running into the current champion, Alex Pereira, in July. Since then, he suffered defeat at the hands of Jared Cannonier in the final main event of 2022.
Notorious for his wild training stories, the North Carolina man has a boxing-heavy style, with a consistent and powerful jab that bloodies his opponents’ face throughout the fight. The Syndicate MMA fighter is a very active striker, landing 5.59 significant strikes per minute (UFC Stats), and likes to pressure his opponents, although he is also very good at fighting off of the back foot. His grappling is also very underrated, with his takedown defence being 85% (UFC Stats), only conceding one takedown in the past five years, against Kamaru Usman. His offensive grappling is also pretty decent, he doesn’t really chase takedowns but will take the opportunity if presented, and when on the mat he has violent ground and pound.
Nassourdine Imavov
Imavov was born in Dagestan, Russia before moving to France at a young age. Here, he started boxing and eventually moved into mixed martial arts. The Frenchman made his UFC debut in 2020 and possesses a 4-1 record inside the promotion, taking his overall record to 12-3 (5 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 3 DEC) whilst also never being knocked out. A former welterweight, the 27-year-old made the permanent jump to 185lbs when he faced Jordan Williams in his first appearance under the UFC banner. The bout against Sean Strickland will be his first five-round main event and look set to be by far the biggest test of his young MMA career. Coming into the fight, the #12 ranked middleweight is on a 3-fight win streak over Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Joaquin Buckley – who he beat at UFC Paris in September.
Despite being born in Dagestan, the Fernand Lopez protege is primarily a striker, boasting extremely good boxing fundamentals. He is very smooth on his feet, just like his MMA Factory teammate Ciryl Gane, and will be looking to land the straight right as his main weapon. The stance he adopts is very lateral with a bounce, comparable with that of Stephen Thompson or Ciryl Gane. Regarding his grappling, he is pretty good – if he can get it to that point. Within his UFC tenure, he has 17 takedown attempts, succeeding with just four of them (UFC Stats) – not a great return. However, when he is on top he does have a very slick game, with a good submission arsenal and strong ground and pound. But, with all of this in mind, one aspect of his skill set still has questions hanging over it – his cardio.
How Do They Match Up?
So how do they match up when the UFC hits Vegas once more? In my opinion, Sean Strickland will no doubt go out there with his usual game plan consisting of a jab-heavy approach, which could leave the calf kick as a useful weapon for his opponent. I must note that this is a completely different matchup to what Imavov was expecting, going from a scrappy southpaw in Kelvin Gastelum to a crisp orthodox boxer in Strickland – which could prove in a fascinating matchup on the feet, if it stays there. I, personally, can see the French fighter trying to impose his strong ground game due to the late change in opponent, although Sean Strickland has excellent takedown defence so this may prove difficult.
Prediction: So, what is my prediction for the main event of UFC Vegas 67? This one is so difficult to call for many reasons; the late change of opponent, the fact that the fight is taking place at 205lbs. However, if I had to pick, I think Sean Strickland by decision is a safe bet considering all of the factors going into the fight.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
