After an impressive performance at UFC Fight Night Paris, Nassourdine Imavov has now separated himself as the clear number one contender in the Middleweight division for Khamzat Chimaev’s belt. The fight saw Imavov outclass and outland his opponent, Caio Borralho, on the feet, where he utilised his speed and power to win a unanimous decision against the Brazilian. Imavov was also able to defend all of Borralho’s takedowns during the fight, highlighting his well-rounded game.
Whilst Dana White has previously hinted that this fight was not necessarily a number one contender fight, and that the winner Reiner de Ridder Vs. Anthony Hernandez could be Khamzat Chimaev’s first title defence. It would feel wrong for Imavov not to get the next crack at the title next. He is currently ranked number two in the division and is on a five-fight winning streak with impressive victories over the likes of Israel Adesanya, Brendan Allen and Jared Cannonier. His last defeat came against former champion Sean Strickland, but since then, Imavov has made major improvements in his game, which have seen him rise through the Middleweight rankings.
Imavov would pose Chimaev problems if the two were to fight. Whilst stuffing takedowns from Borralho may be considered an easier task than doing the same to Chimaev, he has shown that he does possess great takedown defence – again, whether that would be enough to defeat Khamzat Chimaev’s seemingly unstoppable grappling remains to be seen, but if he were able to, Imavov would have the advantage on the feet. His boxing has looked fast and accurate, and he clearly has knockout power, as shown in his fight against Israel Adesanya, which saw him win via second-round KO.
It is hard to see anyone defeating Khamzat Chimaev at the moment, but Imavov has certainly earned his shot at the title, and he would perhaps provide Chimaev with his toughest test at Middleweight.
