Dagestan-born French fighter Nassourdine Imavov is slowly but surely getting to the no.1 contender position, with a 5-fight winning streak under his belt. Many people tend to believe that the middleweight star is just a step or two away from facing Khamzat Chimaev for the belt. Although winning gold is always the dream, Imavov doesn’t seem to be thrilled about having to fight a Chechen brother.

There have been times when teammates have declined to fight each other even if there’s gold on the line. Merab Dvalishvili declined to fight Aljamain Sterling when ‘Funk Master’ was running the bantamweight division. In the case of Nassourdine Imavov, he wasn’t necessarily a teammate of Khamzat Chimaev’s, but did train with him for a while. But the real issue he has when it comes to fighting ‘Borz’ is that they both belong to the Caucasus region.

Nassourdine Imavov believes there’s a sense of understanding

“Here it’s certainly hard to understand, but in the Caucasus Mountains it’s going to make some noise. I called my mother to ask her about the fight; she doesn’t know anything about MMA. They said it’s not a fight to be had; it shouldn’t be between two brothers. That’s why it’s complicated for us,” Nassourdine Imavov told RMC Sport Combat.

It’s not just Nassourdine Imavov who shares a cordial relationship with Khamzat Chimaev. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have maintained cordial relations with the middleweight champion, too. So, it’s apparent that the fighters hailing from their part of the world have their reservations when it comes to fighting one of their own.

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However, it’s all about the gold, and Nassourdine Imavov made it clear that’s what he’s gunning for. And since Khamzat Chimaev has the belt now, there is a sense of understanding between the two that the business has to be dealt with. Interestingly, the Dagestan-born star revealed that he’s already got a tentative date for that fight.

“But at the same time, we don’t have a choice. We know each other well. Khamzat is a good guy; he helped me quite a bit in the fight against Allen. He’s someone I appreciate. We know that next it’s going to be me. I think I’ve done enough. We’ve talked to the UFC; the UFC told us they wanted to do the fight in February,” Imavov added.

Well, the decision to go ahead and fight Khamzat Chimaev is a wise option for Imavov because Dana White doesn’t seem to appreciate when fighters turn down fights. He believes that fighters who do this are walking down a “foolish path.” Although some fans understand why some fighters don’t like to battle teammates, the CEO doesn’t care. In fact, White has praised those who show a willingness to take on all comers, particularly Alex Pereira.

Fight or Fall Behind

One of the most consistent performers recently has been Alex Pereira. He’s now a two-time light heavyweight champion. At the onset of his amazing title run, he swiftly earned Dana White’s praise. As the promoter shared kind words about ‘Poatan’, he made it clear that he always has those fighters in his good books who don’t hesitate to step in and fight everybody.

“When we were talking to him tonight, he doesn’t give a s–t. He said, ‘I will fight at heavyweight, I will fight wherever you want, whenever you want.’ He is ready to turn around, and he wants to fight again, right away. He is that guy. He is a savage man, an absolute stud,” Dana White said in 2024.

You can see the difference in the way Dana White reacted to those who tend to turn down fights and those who go for it. Nassourdine Imavov understands that there is only one way to proceed with Khamzat Chimaev, and that’s to fight the middleweight champion. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.