Is Nassourdine Imavov Muslim? What is his religion? Here's what you need to know about the UFC middleweight's background

Nassourdine Imavov has been a surging combatant inside the UFC cage over the years but is he Muslim? This was something that the mixed martial artist delved into during a conversation on the Zack en Roue Libre podcast. Imavov revealed that he observes Ramadan and shared how he handles training during the holy month.

Ramadan is an important religious practice for Muslims with many UFC fighters who observe the religion more often than not opting to not compete during this stretch of fasting. Imavov seems calculated about how he juggles his MMA career with the religious adherence to maintaining an empty stomach.

Imavov mentioned how he does this with more intensive late night training sessions as opposed to two sessions a day and having the night session in close proximity to eating time and subsequent sleep. Here's what he said on the aforementioned podcast earlier this year:

"During Ramadan I just keep fit. I try to train late in the evening, like an hour or a little bit more before eating time. That way I can give it my all, and when I get home I can eat straight away. The mistake not to make is to train like you normally do, that is to say at 10 o'clock in the morning and then in the evening."

Also, per Ask Oracle, Nassourdine is a culturally rich name with Arabic origins and translates to 'helper of the faith' or 'defender of the religion'.

Check out Imavov getting in work with Khamzat Chimaev below:

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Nassourdine Imavov and his rise in the UFC

Nassourdine Imavov has been a part of the UFC roster for just shy of four years with his debut transpiring on October 3, 2020.

He was born in Dagestan but also fights out of France and proudly represents the two European countries inside the confines of the cage. Imavov would have a pair of wins over Jordan Williams and Ian Heinisch bookend a loss to Phil Hawes to begin his run in the promotion.

The 28-year-old would go on to beat Edmen Shahbazyan and Joaquin Buckley before losing to Sean Strickland. Therefter, his bout against Chris Curtis was ruled a no contest after an errant clash of heads at UFC 289.

After that inconclusive Curtis contest, Imavov secured wins over a pair of top ten ranked middleweight contenders, Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier.

These victories have propelled Imavov toward the number four slot in the division with his next bout taking place later this week. Imavov will clash with number eight ranked middleweight Brendan Allen in a UFC Fight Night co-main event set for Sept. 28.