UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana keeps it moving with the featured bout on the prelims which is in the middleweight division between Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis. Both Imavov and Curtis are coming off hard-fought losses and are looking to get back on track with a big win this Saturday night at UFC 289. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Imavov-Curtis prediction and pick.
Nassourdine Imavov (12-4) is coming off his first main event loss at the hands of Sean Strickland who is the main training partner of his counterpart Chris Curtis. This will be Imavov's first fight after having surgery on his ankle after his most recent loss. His now 3-2 in his UFC career and will be looking to avoid dropping to .500 when he takes on Chris Curtis at UFC 289.
Chris Curtis (30-10) is coming off a razor-close loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 287. Curtis took to Twitter about being displeased with the judge's decision in that fight. Curtis will be looking to right the ship and take out Imavov before it gets to the judge's scorecard this Saturday night.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 289 Odds: Nassourdine Imavov-Chris Curtis Odds
Nassourdine Imavov: -154
Chris Curtis: +126
Over 2.5 Rounds: -172
Under 2.5 Round: +134
UFC 289: How to Watch Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
Why Nassourdine Imavov Will Win
Nassourdine Imavov is an elite kickboxer and is the main training partner of his French comrade Ciryl Gane. They both have a very similar style of striking where they utilize their speed, movement, and kicks to keep themselves out of harm's way and outpoint their opposition.
What Imavov has going for him in this fight is that he is a fast starter and has the volume advantage over Curtis. If he can keep out of the boxing range and make Curtis miss on his counters it will be an easy night at the office and will be able to get back on track in the middleweight division.
Why Chris Curtis Will Win
Chris Curtis is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC roster as this will be his 41st professional MMA fight. He has been in there with some of the best fighters not just in the UFC but in some of the other top organizations around the world. Imavov will not bring anything to the table that he hasn't seen before and Curtis can certainly take advantage of that.
Curtis is very patient with his striking and has an exceptional striking defense. He does well to roll with the punches and then fire back with a counter which will make it tough on Imavov to just throw with no intention because Curtis will make him pay. If Curtis can be first on some of these exchanges he definitely has the chance to cause the upset this weekend at UFC 289.
Final Nassourdine Imavov-Chris Curtis Prediction & Pick
This is fantastic matchmaking between two of the middleweight division's best. The thing is with this matchup for Chris Curtis is that if starts out slow he is going to have a very hard comeback without dropping and hurting Imavov. The way that Imavov was able to take damage and last the full 25 minutes with Strickland makes me believe he can do the same with Curtis. Ultimately, Curtis will have his moments but he's just trying to counter, and not being first will be his downfall as Imavov cruises to a decision by outpointing him.
Final Nassourdine Imavov-Chris Curtis Prediction & Pick: Nassourdine Imavov (-154), Over 2.5 Rounds (-172)
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