Nassourdine Imavov’s takedown defense was too much for Brendan Allen, bringing the French fans to their feet at Accor Arena with a unanimous decision win in the co-main event of UFC Paris on Saturday.

Allen entered the octagon riding a seven-fight winning streak at middleweight, including five rear-naked chokes against grappling specialists like Paul Craig and Andre Muniz. He easily dropped Imavov by seconds in the opening round and controlled from top position with occasional punches for nearly five minutes, but was no threat in the submission department.

Imavov mastered the takedown attacks in the second round, stopping every single leg attempt with ease and tagging Allen on the feet. Imavov switched up approaches a few times, reversing takedowns to land in top position and land heavy ground and punches.

The middleweights fought a toe-to-toe battle in the final seconds, but time ran out. All three judges declared Imavov the winner in rounds two and three by a unanimous score of 29-28, and the Frenchman admitted to being surprised by Allen’s stamina.

“In the last seven months I have had three fights, my last two opponents that I beat were contenders for the belt,” Imavov said after the win. “My goal now is the belt. I deserve a shot at the belt because I think I’ve proven myself now.”

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