The UFC is in the process of finalizing a fun middleweight matchup for June. Mike Heck from MMA Fighting was the first to report this afternoon that verbal agreements are in place for a matchup between “The Action Man” Chris Curtis (30-10) and Nassourdine Imavov (12-4).
Per the report, the matchup would take place on June 10th at UFC 289 adding a little more juice to the promotion’s return to Canada. For Curtis, this is a really quick turnaround. The Action Man was just in action at UFC 287 less than two weeks ago.
Curtis had a war with Kelvin Gastelum. Ultimately, Curtis fell short, but he did come on really strong in the third round. Curtis filed an appeal regarding the loss due to a headbutt that caused him to get dropped in the fight which he ultimately believed cost him the decision.
Nevertheless, as of now, it’s a loss for Curtis. After winning his first three bouts in the promotion, Curtis is just 1-2 in his last three. Granted, both loss were very competitive and he’s still one of the best middleweight contenders which is why his strength of opponent is not dropping off.
UFC 289
Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis were originally supposed to fight back in 2020 at a regional show but the plans changed and now both men are in the UFC. Since joining the promotion, Imavov has gone 4-2, but like Curtis, he’s coming off a loss.
The last time we saw Imavov was in January when he took on Sean Strickland on less than a week’s notice. Imavov was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum but Gastelum had to pull out last minute due to a cut. Strickland stepped up and won a decision over Imavov snapping his three-fight winning streak.
Now, Curtis and Imavov are finally going to meet and both of these men are going to look to avoid back-to-back losses. With Imavov’s incredibly high level striking and Chris Curtis’ boxing, this should be a standup showcase for the fans that are tuning in.