After a surprising victory over former champion Israel Adesanya in February, Nasoldin Imabov is approaching the title contest, and he takes a step closer as a backup fighter when middleweight champion Dorikas du Plessis faces Hamzachmaev in the UFC 319 main event.
Sources close to the situation confirmed on Wednesday that sources close to the MMA fight are ready to be back up for cards to be held at United Center in Chicago on August 16th. RMC Sport first reported the news.
The UFC employs backup fighters to employ backup fighters in case a disaster occurs and half of the main event falls apart within the days or weeks leading up to the event. This practice actually began during Covid Pandemic, but the UFC continues to name backup fighters for certain title fights.
Imavov is ready after knocking out Adesanya, expanding his overall winning streak for four consecutive years. During that run, Imavov also took Brendan Allen, Jared Canonier and Roman Dritze.
Overall, Imavov boasts a 16-4 record in one contest, including an 8-2 resume in one contest.
Regardless of his recent success, Imabov knew that Chimaev had already been selected as his next title contender, following his astonishing victory over former champion Robert Whitaker. However, Imavov still acts as a backup. This will mark the 30-year-old Russian as the pinnacle of his own opportunity at UFC Gold.
UFC 319 will be down from Chicago’s United Center on Saturday night, August 16th.