Combat Sports

PREVIEW: UFC Fight Night 217

The UFC has returned after a brief hiatus. Kicking off 2023, the ever-ready Sean Strickland steps up on short notice to face up-and-coming Nassourdine Imavov.

by
Joshua Gaillard
January 13, 2023

The UFC has returned after a brief hiatus. Kicking off 2023, the ever-ready Sean Strickland steps up on short notice to face up-and-coming Nassourdine Imavov. Josh Gaillard previews the card.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Main Event

Sean Strickland 88/100 | Nassourdine Imavov 83/100

Kelvin Gastelum has faced another fight-ending injury and was removed from the main middleweight main event with Nassourdine Imavov. Replacing Gastelum will be UFC veteran Sean Strickland. As a result of the short notice, this five-round bout will now take place at light heavyweight.

Sean Strickland (25-5) makes a quick turn-around after facing a split decision loss to Jared Cannonier in the final fight of 2022. Strickland desperately needs to return to the win column currently riding a two-fight slump. Prior to that, the 31-year-old forward-pressing ‘take one, to give one’ fighter must overcome an up-and-coming contender.

A moment to truly step into the big leagues, Nassourdine Imavov (12-3) has his chance against the No.6 ranked middleweight contender. The 27-year-old starts the year riding a three-fight win streak and has won four of five inside the UFC Octagon. After taking time off to better round his skillset, he fought just once in 2022, defeating Joaquin Buckley in Paris at the start of September.

Verdict: Nassourdine Imavov 83/100

This is an immense test for Imavov and a fight that will provide a lot of information about where the French-based fighter stands in the promotion.

Strickland is dangerous when coming forward and a nightmare over five rounds when he gets loose with his hands. He will surely be motivated to snap this skid, but he is always open to taking shots.

Imavov has better movement and controls the in and out range much better, and in the first two rounds will have a massive edge – he cannot allow himself to be stagnant or it will be a long night.

Co-Main Event

Dan Ige 78/100 vs Damon Jackson 93/100

A co-main event featuring two veteran featherweight fighters. This bout could possibly be the last chance for these two veterans the last go at a title run with a win in the opening card of the year. They face one another in the octagon heading in very different directions.

Dan Ige (15-6) truly finds himself in a do or die situation in the UFC. After going on a six-fight win streak in the UFC, Dan met Kalvin Kattar in a five-round war of epic proportions. Ige lost via unanimous decision but bounced back with a knockout only to lose three on the trot to Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett, and Movsar Evloev.

Damon Jackson (22-4-1) has fought across every big promotion in the USA. The 34-year-old started his career in Bellator, moved to Legacy where he made a name for himself, and had a single loss in the PFL before switching to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He joined the UFC back in 2014 and failed to impress losing his first fight, facing a no-contest decision, and finally a draw before being cut from the promotion. The second stint has been a breath of fresh air with his only loss to undefeated Illia Topuria and now rides a four-fight win streak.

Prediction: Dan Ige 78/100

This is an intriguing clash between two well-rounded veterans looking to solidfy their places in the rankings, with Ige looking to maintain his spot and Jackson hoping to run off with a number next to his name.

It should be competitive no matter where it goes or how long it lasts. Ige is a well-rounded fighter that shows determination to always impress, and at one stage, was tipped to possibly challenge for the title, and should he want success, applying pressure will be key.

Fight of the Night Prediction

The opening card of 2023 does not have the flashy names one might think of when we go back to the 2022 opener Kattar vs. Chikadze or 2021 Hollaway vs. Kattar, or the best of the lot, 2020 McGregor vs Cowboy.

But one thing we can note is that cards that lack flashy names, make up for it in the clash of styles that create absolute spectacles. For me, the Fight of the Night is likely to head to a preliminary fight between two undefeated fighters Javid Basharat and Mateus Mendonca.