Is Nassourdine Imavov Russian? UFC Middleweight’s Ethnicity and Background

 At UFC on ESPN 57, Nassourdine Imavov will be looking to continue his momentum in the promotion’s middleweight division as he gears up to take on Jared Cannonier in the main event of the night. Imavov is coming off a majority decision victory over Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 85 where he won the fight despite getting a point deducted in round 4 due to an illegal soccer kick.

‘The Sniper’ is known for his well-rounded skill set that has seen him rack up victories over notable names like Joaquin Buckley and Edmen Shahbazyan. As he prepares to continue in his path toward title contention, let’s take a look and learn all we know about the number 7 ranked UFC middleweights’ nationality, ethnicity, and more.

Where was Nassourdine Imavov born? What is his ethnicity/nationality?

Nassourdine Imavov was born on March 1, 1995, in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russia, and his family later moved to Salon-de-Provence in France. His family is ethnically Kumyk, known to be a Turkic ethnic group that hail from Dagestan, Chechnya, and North Ossetia.

In a past interview with the Le Parisien website, Imavov had revealed, “I left early, the memories I keep are those of a beautiful, mountainous country where the king sport is wrestling.”

Moving to France at the age of 9, a young Imavov found his interest in combat sports when he discovered boxing at a nearby gym, and with his father’s history as a former boxer, Imavov was drawn further into the world of combat sports.

This led to him finding his way to MMA and, at the age of 19, he decided to pack his bags and move to Paris with his older brother to become a professional MMA fighter. They joined Fernand Lopez’s ‘MMA Factory’ gym which is the largest MMA gym in France and is also known for producing names like former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou and former UFC interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane.

Imavov began his professional career in 2016 where he amassed an 8-2 record before the UFC came calling. He made his promotional debut against Jordan Williams in 2020 and started off his UFC journey with a unanimous decision victory. He has since gone 5-2 in the promotion with his two losses coming against Phil Hawes and former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.

Ahead of his upcoming clash against Cannonier, Imavov has a particular goal in mind which he revealed to UFC.com. The Frenchman said, “A beautiful knockout — that’s what I want. That’s what the fans want. That’s what the UFC wants.”

Nassourdine Imavov’s family

Nassourdine Imavov prefers to keep his family out of the spotlight. As such, there isn’t much information available about them. However, he does have an older brother named Daguir, who is also a mixed martial artist who competes in the ARES FC promotion.

While he keeps his family life private, Imavov has shared an interesting story of his interaction with his father after his fight against Roman Dolidze in February earlier this year. Speaking to the Sport Express website, Imavov revealed, “He talks a lot, swears a lot, and because of this, the first thing that came to mind were these words. My father then pressed me on the phone and scolded me. He let me know that I needed to behave decently and don’t be nervous.”

This story highlights the close bond shared between the Imavov family and, as he prepares for his next challenge, ‘The Sniper’ remains focused on his ultimate goal of becoming a top contender in the middleweight division!