UFC Vegas 67: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland Picks and Predictions

Nassourdine Imavov and Sean Strickland face off on Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 67 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Imavov was originally supposed to face Kelvin Gastelum but he had to pull out Monday because of an injury. 

Nassourdine Imavov comes into this game with a 12-3 record overall and since coming into the UFC he was won four of his five fights. His last fight came against Joaquin Buckley in September of 2022 and it was a unanimous decision victory. He outstruck Buckley 51-46 and had two takedowns. He also had two submission attempts. He is averaging 4.08 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 2.43 significant strikes per minute. He is averaging 0.95 takedowns every 15 minutes, and he is successful on 23 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 76 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. He is a submission artist and is averaging 2.4 submission attempts every 15 minutes. 

On the other side of this matchup is Sean Strickland who sits with a 25-5 record overall and he has won six of his last seven eight. The big problem for Strickland is he has lost two fights in a row. His last fight came against Jared Cannonier on December 17th and he lost by split decision. There were many who believed that he won, but the judges decided it was a loss. He outstruck Cannonier 152-141 and he also had one takedown. He is averaging 5.59 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 4.18  significant strikes per minute. He is also averaging 1.08 takedowns every 15 minutes and is successful on 62 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 85 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. Even though this is a short notice fight, he has a ton of confidence.