Chris Curtis makes quick turnaround, battles Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289

Chris Curtis has an opportunity to erase the painful memory of his recent loss to fellow middleweight bruiser Kelvin Gastelum, and it may be quicker (and more successful) than filing an appeal with Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Curtis is being paired off with No. 12-ranked Nassourdine Imavov for the upcoming UFC 289 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., June 10, 2023 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, according to MMA Fighting.

Prior to his Gastelum loss, Curtis (30-10) starched Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282. The only thing standing in the way of “Action Man” breaking into the Top 10 is his consistency, having spoiled a three-fight win streak by losing to Jack Hermansson last July.

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OCTAGON RETURNS TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Canada for the first time in almost four years when it hosts UFC 289 inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sat., June 10, 2023. In UFC 289’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event, women’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, will lock horns with No. 5-ranked 135-pound contender, Irene Aldana, while former Lightweight kingpin and current No. 1-seeded contender, Charles Oliveira, battles No. 4-ranked Beneil Dariush in the co-feature with 155-pound title implications on the line.

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Imavov (12-4) suffered a similar fate when he racked up three straight victories — which includes his own win over Buckley — only to go down on points opposite middleweight lunatic Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 67 just a few months back.

UFC 289 will be headlined by the women’s bantamweight rubber match between reigning 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes and former division titleholder Julianna Pena. Elsewhere on the card, Dan Ige and Nate Landwehr collide at featherweight.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 289 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 289: “Nunes vs. Aldana” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.