Nassourdine Imavov punches Brendan AllenChris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Haris Kruskic: It does feel like Israel Adesanya is in the twilight of his career after three losses in his last four fights, but I still think he’s looked pretty good in those losses aside from the Sean Strickland bout. Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov has failed to jump off the page during his three-fight win streak. His most recent fight against Brendan Allen did nothing to alleviate concerns he may not be ready for title contention quite yet.
I’m going with Adesanya’s skill advantage over Imavov’s youth.
Prediction: Adesanya by unanimous decision
Nick Akerman: This is one of those fights that can be tougher than expected to predict.
My mind is telling me there’s very little chance Imavov will defeat Adesanya, even after Izzy’s skid. It’s also saying this could be over quickly in favour of The Last Stylebender, who possesses a myriad of options to dispatch an opponent who is facing a giant step up in quality.
But MMA doesn’t always work like that. Even though I think Adesanya wins comfortably, something is nagging me.
Prediction: Adesanya via unanimous decision.
Tom Taylor: I feel like there were some way more interesting matchups to be made for Adesanya at this stage of his career, but here we are.
For me, the outcome of this fight really comes down to how seriously the former champ is taking the challenge. He’s still young enough that he should be able to beat Imavov handily — assuming he’s feeling energized and motivated. Despite all of his pre-fight assurances, I’m not sure that will be the case. Would you be excited to fight a tough but unspectacular contender like Imavov after competing in 12-straight title fights and making boatloads of money in the process? I gotta be honest with myself, I don’t think I would.
All that to say, I think Adesanya will get it done, but much like Nick, there are enough variables at play that I’m not confident.
Prediction: Adesanya by unanimous decision
Lyle Fitzsimmons: Some of the other guys have made an allowance that an upset could happen but wouldn’t pull the trigger on it.
Well… here’s my bang, bang.
Do I believe Adesanya is an all-time great? Absolutely. But I also believe that the recent stretch might not be a mirage, and he may be running into a young, hungry guy in a lower-profile bout at precisely the wrong time.
Prediction: Imavov by split decision
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