Nassourdine Imavov (France) - Ian Heinisch(USA)
UFC APEX, Las Vegas. USA
25.07.2021.
The Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov will have his third official middleweight fight in the UFC against the American Ian Heinisch.
Nassourdine Imavov: still room to improve
You can't say that Imavov is on his best form in the UFC. He's only had two fights here so far - the first one he won, but not very convincingly, and the second one he lost.
The 26-year-old French Dagestani has 9 wins (3 by KO, 4 by submission) and 3 losses (1 by submission, 2 by decision of the judges) in his pro record.
Both of Imavov's fights in the strongest league in the world were very close and revealed both his shortcomings and his advantages. He's very aggressive, he hits a lot, he's good in the par terre, and he fights until the end. But he has problems when fighting physically stronger opponents and has gaps in his punching technique.
Ian Heinisch: hard times
In his last four fights, Heinisch has lost three times, but you have to consider that these opponents are obviously stronger than Imavov. So whether Ian is on the decline or just reached his ceiling, we don't know, it's an open question.
The 32-year-old American has 13 wins (5 by KO, 3 by submission) and 4 losses (1 by submission, 3 by judges' decision) on his pro record.
Heinisch's last fight (against Gastelum) was very competitive, both in the standing and on the ground. Kelvin tried to attack more with take-downs, but Heinischwas quick to get into a stand-up position and several times he took him to the par terre himself. Regarding their guard technique, the rivals were constantly changing positions and had a very dynamic fight, but Gastelum was in the dominant position a little more often. The fight was also even, with Kelvin being a little more active in the fight overall. In the end, all the judges gave the victory to Gastelum with the score 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
What I know about Imamov is that he fought Phil Howes. That's the only fight of his I've ever watched. Phil's a teammate of mine, so he gave me some instructions. My coaches prepared me for some of the tricks he uses. But the main goal of this camp was to become a better version of myself. I want to become the kind of fighter who knows how to adapt to any opponent. A good fighter will act differently in every fight, so I don't see the point in preparing for what your opponent has done before. You have to be able to adapt to any situation as the fight progresses
Expert betting tips
Imavov is taking a big risk and is on the verge - a loss would put him among the fighters for dismissal, but a victory would open up great opportunities. But Heinisch's situation is no better, though he already has a reputation. In any case, if we compare skills purely on the basis of sport, no one has an advantage here.
But there is a persistent feeling that with his aggression, with his spirit, Imavov will finish the American, who has been pushed around three times in the past two years.
Bookmaker analysts suggest betting on the victory of Imavov at odds of about 2.26.
Other predictions
