The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest pay-per-view took some hits to its depth in recent weeks, but there are still some highlights on the UFC 289 undercard this Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The best fight of the bunch deservedly sits in the featured spot, where Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis each look to regain some ground in the middleweight division after disappointing losses. A flyweight tilt between prospects Miranda Maverick and Jasmine Jasudavicius also stands out as legitimately interesting. Other than that, we find the usual mix of well-matched action fights, this time with a distinct Canadian flavor.
Middleweights
#12 MW | Nassourdine Imavov (12-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. #14 MW | Chris Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC)ODDS: Imavov (-150), Curtis (+130)
One of the more interesting fights on this card sees two ranked middleweights attempt to score their first win of 2023. Imavov got his UFC career off to an impressive start, considering the questions around the Dagestan-born French prospect when he signed with the promotion. He scored some impressive results in his regional film, but his approach centered around a low-output and opportunistic style, which, when combined with some lackadaisical defense, figured to quickly get exploited against better competition. After winning his UFC debut over Jordan Williams, Imavov seemingly hit a ceiling when he was unable to put away Phil Hawes in his sophomore effort. That made it a surprise when he subsequently charged up the ladder with definitive wins over Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan and Joaquin Buckley. The run earned Imavov a main event slot on the UFC’s first card of 2023, which had the potential to be a breakout assignment but instead wound up raising a lot of questions about his game going forward. Sean Strickland stepped in as a late replacement and outworked Imavov in one-sided fashion, suggesting that his resume may have been built on a combination of breakable or smaller-framed fighters that maximized his effectiveness. Imavov looks to provide some positive clarity against Chris Curtis, who has quickly carved out a niche in less than two years on the UFC roster. “The Action Man” took over a decade of fighting—including a win on Dana White’s Contender Series that did not earn him a contract—to become an overnight sensation in the UFC, stepping in on late notice to score wins over Hawes and Brendan Allen in less than a month, immediately establishing himself as a relevant middleweight. Curtis’ years of experience have made him a crafty fighter who leaves nothing on the table when it comes to exploiting his opponent’s defense, though he has still hit a ceiling at times thanks to his lack of physical gifts. Jack Hermansson had a size advantage that allowed him to neutralize Curtis, and the Xtreme Couture rep’s last fight was a head-on war that saw Kelvin Gastelum lean on his athleticism to gut out a narrow win. That is also the dynamic at play here, as Curtis is the much more functional fighter but may have trouble getting anything done against a massive athlete like Imavov despite the latter’s suspect defense. Curtis has been an impressively stout defensive wrestler, which should shut down that path to victory for Imavov. The bet is that he can still land enough big shots to walk away with a win on the scorecards, particularly since Imavov can flag if he gets dragged into a tough fight. The pick is Curtis via decision.
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Imavov vs. Curtis
Maverick vs. Jasudavicius
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