A late-notice booking has resulted in two middleweight strikers moving up to light heavyweight this Saturday, as Nassourdine Imavov meets Sean Strickland to close the UFC's first bill of 2023. Read on for our best UFC bets for Saturday's Fight Night card.
A date between Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum just isn't in the cards, as a battle of the two middleweights has fallen through for a second time, with Strickland stepping in to save the card on less than a week's notice. In Saturday's new light heavyweight main event, Imavov will vie for a fourth straight victory after outdueling Joaquin Buckley this past September. The 27-year-old has won all but one of his five UFC contests and boasts a solid pro record of 12-3.
As for the other half of Saturday's light heavyweight headliner, Strickland gets back in the saddle less than a month after dropping a razor-close split decision to Jared Cannonier. The loss on points left Strickland on his first career slump, having fallen to reigning middleweight king Alex Pereira by KO last summer. The California product had won six straight before his current two-fight skid, and he now meets Imavov with a UFC record of 12-5.
Before those two strikers square off, Dan Ige will aim to snap a three-fight losing streak of his own against a surging Damon Jackson in the featherweight co-main event.