UFC star Joe Pyfer believes Nassourdine Imavov deserves a middleweight title shot ahead of former champion Khamzat Chimaev.
With an impressive five-fight win streak behind him, Nassourdine Imavov seems to be the number one pick when it comes to deciding who the next challenger will be for Sean Strickland’s UFC middleweight championship.
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Alas, Nassourdine Imavov may have to wait if Khamzat Chimaev has his way. The former champ, who lost the belt to Sean Strickland, wants an immediate title shot – even if there aren’t a lot of people who agree with that stance.
In a recent interview, Pyfer explained why he believes Nassourdine Imavov should get the nod.
Pyfer backs Nassourdine Imavov for title shot
“I think Nassourdine deserves it,” Pyfer told MMA Junkie. “He’s on a win streak, he’s finished guys, he also finished Izzy (Adesanya), he beat Brendan (Allen), who else did he beat? He beat a bunch of guys, and he looks good. He’s in his prime, so give him that title shot. I don’t think that Khamzat deserves an immediate rematch. He just won the belt and then he just lost the belt.
“Close fight, yes, but he was talking about moving up to 205, and now he’s going to stay, but then he’s injured. I don’t know. I don’t know Khamzat. I don’t know what’s going on with his health. First and foremost, he needs to take care of his health and be healthy, then he can worry about fighting. My personal opinion, I don’t think he should fight injured because it just puts you in a bad spot.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
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