- UFC odds have Kelvin Gastelum as +170 underdog against Nassourdine Imavov -200 favorite.
- Can Kelvin Gastelum make one more run at middlweight with an upset over rising star Nassourdine Imavov?
- Imavov “The Russian Sniper” is coming off an impressive win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Paris.
The UFC returns to kick off 2023 with a fight night at the UPEX facility in Las Vegas, we’ll review one of the main fights for UFC Vegas on Saturday 14th January 2023. We review the latest Imavov and Gastelum odds & give a fight prediction for this 185-pound headliner between Top 15 middleweights.
Gastelum vs Imavov Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
| Kelvin Gastelum | +170 |
| Nassourdine Imavov | -200 |
Nassourdine Imavov opens as a -200 favorite (Bet $200, Net $100). Kelvin Gastelum who’s coming off a loss to former title contender Jared Cannonier, is a +170 underdog (Bet $100, Net $170).
The smart money would be on Imavov, with the early betting line at -200. You can expect that to close closer to -300, I would place Imavov as a parlay piece with one more fight on the card for bigger payout.
Imavov has mostly been the underdog, with this fight making only the second time out of six UFC bouts he’s favored. The last was against Joaquin Buckley, a fight Imavov really impressed the fans.
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Gastelum vs Imavov UFC Fight Prediction
This will be Imavov’s first time in a UFC main event slot. Under the bright lights the Russian is expected to shine, but it won’t be a walk in the park as Gastelum has shared the cotagon with some UFC greats such as Israel Adeysanaya, Michael Bisping and Jacare Souza.
Imavov who hails Dagestan in Russia, is entering his prime at 26 years of age. He’s a former Thunderstrike Fight League welterweight champion and currently on a 3 fight winning streak with only 1 UFC loss. A win here for Imavov would add Gastelum’s name among Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan, 3 solid names to have on your UFC resume as he eyes up the top-5 of the 185-pound division.
Both fighters can throw heavy shots and can mix up their striking with wrestling. For Gastelum he has certainly lost a step with only one win in his last six bouts, that one win was a decision against Ian Heinisch – an opponent Imavov finished by TKO in July 2021.
Expect Imavov to put the pressure on Gastelum early and look to strike, counter strike and engage with Gastelum’s grappling abilities too. In terms of striking Gastelum might have more experience, but he will have to watch out for Imavov’s elbows as he tries to close a 4-inch reach disadvantage. Its safe to say win or lose the UFC love Gastelum, but this fight could push the former title challenger closer to retirement the the belt.
Betting Prediction: Imavov
UFC Vegas 67 Full Card
185 lbs.: Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov
145 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Damon Jackson
125 lbs.: Carlos Hernandez vs. Allan Nascimento
135 lbs.: Raquel Pennington vs. Ketlen Vieira
145 lbs.: Daniel Argueta vs. Isaac Dulgarian
155 lbs.: Mateusz Rebecki vs. Nick Fiore
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Raoni Barcelos
185 lbs.: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Claudio Ribeiro
125 lbs.: Charles Johnson vs. Jimmy Flick
135 lbs.: Javid Basharat vs. Mateus Mendonca