LAS VEGAS – Nassourdine Imavov didn’t have a banner year in 2023, and hopes to put that chapter behind him in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 235 main event.

After entering 2023 on a three-fight winning streak, Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) suffered a loss to Sean Strickland in the first main event of the year. He returned in June for a matchup with Chris Curtis, which ended prematurely in a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads. Then, Imavov withdrew from a scheduled UFC 294 bout vs. Ikram Alskerov in November.

In addition to all this, Imavov reportedly switched management in November and parted ways with his longtime training home of Factory X in France. Now he returns to headline the third UFC card of 2024 when he takes on Roman Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), and Imavov hopes to start this year on a more positive foot.

“It’s true that 2023 was a pretty complicated year,” Dolidze told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “But I gained a lot of experience and I want it to serve me well on Saturday and show how much better I’ve got during this year. It’s my second main event. Last time it was the first time I did five, five-minute rounds. It was like UFC and life gave me a second chance to shine, so I want to take this chance and shine on Saturday.”

Imavov, 28, praised Dolidze, 35, as a “really good fighter” and is pleased with the opportunity to face the Georgian. The fight ultimately represents the next step in Imavov’s championship goal, though, and he intends to get through it with much bigger opportunities to follow.

“The ranking is very important for me,” Imavov said. “Once you get into the top 10 or the top five, at any point you can fight for the belt. And the belt is my goal, my main focus. So I want to be there and be able to fight for the belt.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.