Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley: Height, reach, weight and UFC record comparison

When the final UFC Paris bouts were announced, one of the standout prelim battles looked to be Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley. The American is somewhat of a household name after his stunning knockout of Impa Kasanganay in 2020. However, Buckley now faces Imavov on his opponent's home turf. The 26-year-old Imavov was born in Russia but currently trains in Salon-de-Provence, France.

'New Mansa' will have to overcome a huge height difference. Buckley stands at 178cm with his opponent towering over him at 191cm. However, Buckley somehow has a longer reach than Imavov, with the Russian-born fighter having a reach of 191cm, while Buckley sports a reach of 193cm.

Nassourdine Imavov last weighed-in slightly heavier than his opponent, coming in at 0.6lbs heavier than Joaquin Buckley, who weighed-in at 184lbs. Both fighters joined the UFC in 2020, but 'New Mansa' has been much more active than the France-based fighter.

Buckley has fought seven times in the organization, winning five bouts and losing twice. The American was beaten by Kevin Holland on his UFC debut and Alessio Di Chirico at UFC on ABC 1. His opponent, Imavov, has fought four times under the UFC banner and has lost just once when facing Phil Hawes in his second bout for the company.

Watch Buckley's viral UFC knockout here:

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Who was the first fighter to beat Nassourdine Imavov in professional MMA?

Despite Nassourdine Imavov now being a ranked UFC fighter in the middleweight division, the Russian-born martial artist didn't have a great start in the world of MMA. Imavov lost his debut bout as a professional in 2016 via first-round submission to Majdeddine Ayadi at 100% Fight 27.

However, Imavov didn't let this loss hold him back and remained unbeaten for his next three bouts before losing again to Michal Michalski in 2017.

After suffering these two defeats early in his career, Imavov won his next six bouts, including his debut fight against Jordan Williams under the UFC banner. The 26-year-old middleweight suffered his only loss in the organization when facing Phil Hawes, but has since remained unbeaten in the UFC.

'The Russian Sniper' now takes on his biggest name since joining the UFC. The bout will take place this weekend in Paris, which should feel like home turf for Nassourdine Imavov.