'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABcAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwgQAAIBBAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAQAEBREGBxIhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBBEBAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDABFB/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCHVfAsHynC5y9vkgm+wmAtnIbbLWCjBsmWjVIzs9Br3usdsQJMOQiPMlMjv5OqUqukC+w5oxZSWBvjn//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After weeks of waiting, the UFC’s first event of 2023 went down last night, with plenty of action taking place in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov featured plenty of good fights, and a number of fighters picked up big wins.
Will some of these fighters now move onto title contention in their weight class? It’s definitely possible.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
#5. Javid Basharat – defeated Mateus Mendonca in a UFC bantamweight bout
High-end prospects were few and far between at last night’s UFC event, but one fighter in action who might be destined for bigger and better things is Javid Basharat.
Trending
The UK-based bantamweight outpointed Mateus Mendonca pretty clearly, getting the better of him in every area, and rightfully came away with a clear-cut unanimous decision.
Not only did the win make Basharat the first fighter to defeat Mendonca in MMA, but it also extended his own unbeaten record to 3-0 in the UFC and to 14-0 overall.
Sure, he didn’t finish the Brazilian, meaning that all three of his bouts in the octagon have gone the distance, but it seems only a matter of time before he picks up some kind of highlight reel finish.
Based on last night’s performance, it’s time for ‘The Snow Leopard’ to take a step up in competition, preferably against a veteran gatekeeper like Davey Grant or Raphael Assuncao. If he can defeat someone like that, he could develop into a contender.
Overall, then, it’s safe to say that by extending his unbeaten record, Basharat should be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
#4. Umar Nurmagomedov – defeated Raoni Barcelos in a UFC bantamweight bout
One fighter who definitely took a big step towards UFC title contention last night was Umar Nurmagomedov. The cousin of former lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov was ruthless in his finish of Raoni Barcelos.
Not only did Nurmagomedov produce his first knockout finish in the octagon, but he did it against his toughest opponent to date, too.
Nurmagomedov is now 16-0, with four of those wins coming in the octagon. Right now, he’s the No.11-ranked fighter in the bantamweight division, so last night’s win could be enough to move him into the top ten next week. However, he may need a win over a fellow ranked fighter first.
Either way, based on last night’s win, he’s got the skills to become a genuine title contender in the future, and given the highlight reel finish he scored, he’s definitely one of the event’s big winners.
#3. Raquel Pennington – defeated Ketlen Vieira in a UFC bantamweight bout
Arguably the most controversial result of this weekend’s event saw Raquel Pennington defeat Ketlen Vieira via a split decision.
Whether Pennington deserved the victory is a fair question, given most of the media scored the fight for Vieira, but the fact is that in the world of UFC, results matter. ‘Rocky’ is now on a five-fight winning streak, and she just defeated the No.2-ranked women's bantamweight in the promotion.
Does this mean that Pennington is a contender for Amanda Nunes’ 135 lbs title? It’s honestly hard to say. On one hand, you'd be hard-pressed to justify allowing any other fighter to take a shot at ‘The Lioness’ before her.
On the other hand, though, Pennington was comfortably beaten by Nunes in their 2018 title bout, and she hasn’t really improved her skills in the years that have followed.
Essentially, a rematch between Nunes and ‘Rocky’ wouldn’t pique the interest of many fans. However, with the dearth of viable contenders at bantamweight right now, Dana White might not be able to avoid it, which makes Pennington one of last night’s biggest winners by far.
#2. Dan Ige – defeated Damon Jackson in a UFC featherweight bout
While the UFC doesn’t tend to cut fighters who produce wildly exciting action in their bouts, featherweight veteran Dan Ige was almost certainly under threat last night.
‘50k’ went into his bout with Damon Jackson as the No.13-ranked fighter in the division, but he’d also lost four of his last five fights and hadn’t won in the octagon since March 2021.
Had he lost to Damon Jackson, then his career with the promotion could well have been over. Thankfully, Ige produced his best showing in years to take out Damon Jackson in a truly violent fashion.
After outstriking him for two straight rounds, the Hawaiian turned out Jackson’s lights with a savage uppercut, scoring a walk-off KO in the process.
Will the win move Ige up the featherweight ladder or make him a true threat to the title? Absolutely not. He remains a limited but exciting fighter who will probably lose to the more skilled fighters in his weight class.
However, this win probably saved his career with the promotion, and he’ll likely be rewarded with a new contract at some point. He also bagged a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. ‘50k’ was definitely one of the night’s biggest winners.
#1. Sean Strickland – defeated Nassourdine Imavov in a UFC light-heavyweight bout
While his victory did come with a handful of caveats, there’s no disputing the idea that Sean Strickland should be considered last night’s biggest winner.
‘Tarzan’ took his clash with Nassourdine Imavov on super-late notice, replacing the injured Kelvin Gastelum with less than a week to go before the event.
The late notice did mean that the fight was switched from middleweight to light heavyweight – giving Strickland a notable size advantage over his French opponent. However, given 'Tarzan's lack of prep time, it was still a huge risk for him.
Despite this, Strickland looked pretty great. He was able to keep Imavov on the back foot, using his jab to set up some big combinations. While he didn’t come close to a finish; when the fight was over, it was clear who deserved to win.
Where does Strickland go from here? It’s hard to say, but he did at least assuage his recent loss to Jared Cannonier, and while he won’t move up the ladder in the rankings, he remains a viable contender at 185 lbs.
More to the point, he showed his worth to the UFC by taking a late-notice headliner and winning – and that could count for plenty in the future.
