Zelim Imadaev (born January 25, 1995) is a Russian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

Imadaev began training in

combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppon ...

when he was 14 years old. His first foray was into kickboxing for one year, before pursuing boxing. With boxing, he held an amateur record of 59–1. He was also involved in numerous street fights, which prompted his brother to recommend Imadaev to start training mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before entering the UFC, Zelim fought in Russian MMA promotions, most notably

Fight Nights Global AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

, where he compiled an undefeated 8–0, all won by technical knockout or knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Imadaev faced

Max Griffin Max Griffin (born November 29, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Griffin currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Griffin has also ...

in his UFC debut on April 13, 2019, at

UFC 236 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via majority decision. Imadaev was deducted a point in the first round for grabbing the fence. Zelim faced Danny Roberts on 9 November at

UFC on ESPN+ 21 ''UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 21'' and ''UFC Vegas 22'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 20, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in round two. Imadaev faced

Michel Pereira Michel Pereira (born 6 October 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a Welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he formerly competed for 300 Sparta, Akhmat Fight Club, ...

on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai. During the weigh-in ceremony, Imadaev slapped the Brazilian and both fighters were restrained by the event's security. In the fight, Imadaev was dominated throughout and Pereira repeatedly slapped him. Imadaev ultimately was taken down in the third round and lost the fight via submission due to a rear-naked choke. In October 2020, Imadaev praised a Chechen teen responsible for the decapitation of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty, describing the murderer as a "hero of Islam" on social media. The UFC stated in response that Imadaev had already been "released from his contract earlier this summer and is no longer a member of the promotion’s roster".

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

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Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

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Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence ...

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Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Alexander Kovalenko , TKO (punches) , GEFC: Hammer of Thor 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Shcholkine Shcholkine ( uk, Щолкіне, translit=Shcholkine, ; russian: Щёлкино, translit=Shcholkino; crh, Şçolkino), also commonly known as Shchelkino or Shchyolkino by its Russian name, is a town in the Lenine Raion of Crimea. Geographically, ...

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Kaspiysk Kaspiysk (russian: Каспи́йск; lbe, Ккасппи; av, Каспиялъухъ) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea, southeast of Makhachkala. The 2010 Russian census recorded the city as being t ...

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Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Imadaev, Zelim 1995 births Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Chechen mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Russian male boxers Sportspeople from Grozny