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

Allen entered the octagon riding an seven-fight winning streak at middleweight, including five rear-naked chokes against grappling specialists such as Paul Craig and Andre Muniz. He easily took Imavov down seconds into the opening round, controlling from top position for almost five minutes with some occasional punches from top position but wasn’t a threat in the submission department.

Imavov figured out the takedown attacks in the second round, stopping every single leg attempt with ease and tagging Allen on the feet. Imavov switched approaches a couple of times, reversing takedowns to end on top position and land heavy ground and pound.

The middleweights went to war on the feet in the final seconds, but the clock ran out. All three judges declared Imavov the winner in rounds two and three for a unanimous 29-28 score, and the Frenchman admitted surprise with Allen’s durability.

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

Click here for complete UFC Paris results.