Imavov beats Dolidze in UFC main event, calls out Strickland

Middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov defeated Roman Dolidze in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event, winning via majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Imavov resumed his climb in the 185-pound division and will likely crack into the top 10 after arguably the biggest win of his career. Dolidze was ranked No. 8 and Imavov No. 11 heading into the fight.

In his postfight interview, Imavov made it clear he wants another step up in competition. He called for a rematch against former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Imavov lost to Strickland in a non-title light heavyweight bout in January 2023. Strickland dropped the belt to Dricus Du Plessis last month.

The fight between Imavov and Dolidze was underwhelming and, at times, bizarre. However, Imavov's advantage on the feet as the quicker and sharper puncher proved to be too much for Dolidze. Imavov outstruck Dolidze 112-34 in significant strikes. Neither fighter secured a takedown, with Dolidze going 0-for-4 in attempts.

Imavov got off to a ferocious start in Round 1, nearly finishing the fight in the opening minutes. He rocked Dolidze with a right hand and then dropped him with a knee to the body and three left punches. Imavov pummeled Dolidze with ground-and-pound, but referee Herb Dean allowed Dolidze to make it to the end of the round.

Imavov lost a point in the fourth round for an illegal kick on a grounded Dolidze. During the break in action, Imavov went after and exchanged words with former opponent Chris Curtis, who was in Dolidze's corner. Dean threatened to disqualify Imavov and brought him back to his side of the Octagon.

Imavov-Curtis ended in a no-contest last June due to a clash of heads.

"He talks too much," Imavov said of Curtis in his postfight interview. "When he was in the cage with me, he didn't do anything. If you want to fight me, it's inside the cage. If it's outside the cage, shut up."

With the victory over Dolidze, Imavov got back on track after seeing a loss and a no-contest in his last two appearances. This was the Russian-born Frenchman's first victory since September 2022.

Dolidze has now lost two straight after winning four consecutive bouts from 2021-22.

In the co-main event, Renato Moicano returned from a 15-month layoff to beat Drew Dober by unanimous decision in a battle of top-15 lightweight contenders.

Moicano, who earned 29-28 scorecards across the board, controlled Dober for more than 10 minutes of the fight.

The Brazilian stepped into the cage for the first time since November 2022. Moicano is now riding a two-fight winning streak and is 4-1 in his last five outings.