Nassourdine Imavov continued his hot streak with a unanimous decision win over fellow middleweight contender Caio Borralho Saturday in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event in Paris, France.
The question now becomes: was the performance enough to warrant the next title shot against new champion Khamzat Chimaev?
The pair both entered the five-rounder at Accor Arena riding impressive winning streaks.
Imavov has now won his past five fights, including a knockout of Israel Adesanya in February. The 30-year-old from France is the No. 2-ranked contender behind former champ Dricus Du Plessis, who sits at No. 1 following his title loss at UFC 319. Imavov’s only loss in the past 4.5 years was a five-round decision to Sean Strickland in early 2023 in a bout that was put together on relatively short notice and took place at 205 pounds.
Borralho entered the weekend as the No. 7-ranked contender and had not lost since his second pro bout more than a decade ago. The 32-year-old Brazilian began his UFC career 7-0 after joining the organization three years ago, but hadn’t fought since his unanimous decision win over one-time title contender Jared Cannonier more than 12 months ago.
The pair stood in opposite stances for the duration of their match with Imavov an orthodox fighter and Borralho a southpaw.
Following a tentative Round 1, Imavov began increasing his output in the second round and was the more accurate striker throughout the tilt. Round 3 saw multiple breaks in the action, first because of a low blow from Borralho, then due to an eye poke from Imavov. The home fighter had his best round in the fourth, but Borralho fought to the final horn and did his best work in the fifth round, though it was not enough to give him the edge on the scorecards.
The judges scored the 25-minute bout 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 all in favour of Imavov, who out-landed his opponent 81 to 66 in significant strikes. Imavov also defended all five of Borralho's takedown attempts in the match.
Fight fans should know by the end of October whether or not Imavov’s victory was enough to warrant a title shot.
Reinier De Ridder faces Anthony Hernandez on Oct. 18 in the main event of a Fight Night card in Vancouver at Rogers Arena. It’s possible the winner of that matchup could jump to the front of the line at 185 pounds if they impress UFC brass more than Imavov did in Paris.
The 13-bout event marked the fourth consecutive September in which the UFC has held a Fight Night card in Paris and it tied a UFC record for most finishes at a single event with 11.
Every fight on the preliminary card ended in a finish and only two on the main card went the distance.
In the co-main event, Borralho’s Fighting Nerds teammate Mauricio Ruffy also had his winning streak snapped by a French fighter.
France’s Benoit Saint Denis snapped a two-fight skid in May with a submission win over short-notice opponent Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 and tapped out Ruffy with a face crank submission in the second round of their lightweight contest.
Brazil’s Ruffy was 7-0 this decade and coming off a leading contender for Knockout of the Year after putting Bobby “King” Green to sleep with a spinning wheel kick at UFC 313 in March.
Also on the main card, Modestas Bukauskas won his fourth consecutive fight by knocking out Paul Craig with an elbow before the horn at the end of the first round.
Craig, the only fighter to hold a win over reigning light-heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, announced his retirement following the loss.
Bukauskas is unranked at 205 pounds but is closing in on a top-15 spot in the division.
Mason Jones relied on his incredible durability early after getting rocked and dropped multiple times in the opening minute by Bolaji Oki in their exciting lightweight contest.
After surviving the early onslaught, Jones returned the favour and rocked Oki before controlling the second half of Round 1 with ground-and-pound and multiple submission attempts.
Jones showed off his physical strength in Round 2, tossing Oki to the mat before the Welshman took mount and smashed his opponent with elbows until the referee stepped in. Jones has now won six in a row in the past three years.
Axel Sola maintained his unbeaten pro record by winning his organizational debut against Rhys McKee. Sola dropped McKee with a body shot in the third round and the referee stepped in before McKee could fully recover.
The 27-year-old from France is now 11-0-1. He took this matchup at 170 pounds but typically competes at 155 pounds. Sola was the ARES Fighting Championship lightweight champion before leaving the French promotion and signing with the UFC.
William Gomis kicked off the main card with a unanimous decision win over UFC newcomer Robert Ruchala.
