Nassourdine Imavov sent his opponent’s mouthguard flying as he impressed on 2022 UFC France debut

Nassourdine Imavov dominated before a wild finish against Joaquin Buckley on UFC’s debut in France

As one of many Frenchmen on the card for the UFC’s debut in the City of Love on September 3, 2022, Imavov had the backing of 15,000 rabid fans as he took on Joaquin Buckley in 2022.

From the first round, it was clear Imavov was in control. The Frenchman was on top for the first five minutes, easily dodging all of Buckley’s attacks and firing back with some shots of his own.

He managed to take down “New Mansa” but the end of the round stopped him in his tracks as he impressed in the opening five minutes, the highlight being a “This Is Sparta!” like kick that sent Buckley’s mouthguard flying onto the canvas in spectacular fashion.

The second round saw Imavov pick up a warning for an accidental eye poke, but that did not dissuade the French crowd from backing their local hero in the promotion’s debut in France.

The end of the second round saw Imavov mount the back of his opponent, but an attempted choke and a series of elbows failed to put him away, as the buzzer once again saved Buckley’s chances.

It was surprising that Buckley was still in the fight, given Imavov’s dominating performance in the first two rounds, but he came out for the final round swinging, much more aggressively than before.

He managed to escape from an attempted takedown before swinging wildly at Imavov, hitting some big hits before being tagged by a brutal uppercut that stopped him in his tracks.

With just minutes left, the American knew his only chance of winning was knocking out the Russian-French fighter opposite him. Imavov was tiring, going too hard in the opening rounds and putting himself at risk in his adopted home country.

An incredible fight ended with three minutes of wild brawling, with two exhausted men giving all they had for a crowd baying for blood. Imavov deserved the victory in Paris, but Buckley’s performance in the last round was one to be admired as well.

Nassourdine Imavov can make it three wins in three in France with the UFC

As he prepares to face Caio Borrahlo in the main event of UFC Paris, Imavov has an impressive record in his home country to protect.

He has won both his fights in France since the UFC has been going there, following up the Buckley victory with another three-round victory over Brendan Allen.

In the co-main event of that show, Imavov won a tight fight, with all the judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor.

After wins on the third and second highest-billed bouts on the card, Imavov will be aiming to go one better by walking out of the UFC Paris main event as champion.

While a win over Borralho may not give Imavov the fight with Khamzat Chimaev he was expecting, going 3-0 in France will be a huge achievement for the Frenchman.