PARIS – Nassourdine Imavov doesn’t see his fight with Joaquin Buckley going the distance.
Imavov (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) faces Buckley (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 209 on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.
Both men boast a high finishing rate, and Buckley is responsible for one of the most viral knockouts in UFC history when he landed a spinning back kick on Impa Kasanganay in October 2020. That said, Imavov expects someone to go down – and says it won’t be him.
“We’re both finishers,” Imavov told reporters through an interpreter at the UFC Fight Night 209 media day. “He has KOs. So do I. So when you have a fight with two guys like that, for sure the fight won’t go the distance.
“It’s going to be a war from beginning to end, and one of us is going to go to sleep – and I can tell you who it’s going to be.”
Imavov, who trains at MMA Factory Paris, will get to compete in front of his home fans against Buckley, but was surprised to find himself on the preliminary card.
“I was a bit disappointed, but it doesn’t matter,” Imavov said. “I’m going to put on a show no matter what, prelims or not, so that’s it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.
