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Brett Okamoto
The UFC’s middleweight division came into sharper focus Saturday when Nassourdine Imavov further cemented himself as a potential title challenger with an impressive five-round decision win over Caio Borralho in Paris.
Fighting in front of his home crowd, Imavov (17-4) earned his fifth consecutive win, with all three judges scoring the 185-pound bout for him via scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.
The victory could propel Imavov into a championship bid against Khamzat Chimaev. The UFC has another high-profile middleweight matchup scheduled in October between Anthony Hernandez (15-2) and Reinier de Ridder (22-2). That fight could decide Chimaev’s next opponent. Immediately following his win, Imavov said that he had hoped to finish Borralho (17-2) early in the bout Saturday, but adamantly pleaded his case for the next title shot.
“Considering the circumstances, I’m really happy with my performance,” Imavov said. “On my right foot, a tendon or something like that let go. It was really painful. I would have liked to get the finish, but it is what it is.
“I am next. [Borralho] was unbeaten for 10 years. I just beat him, and beat him with style, as well. I need to be the next one.”
According to UFC Stats, Imavov narrowly outlanded Borralho 100-90 in total strikes, but Imavov’s offense was much cleaner than Borralho’s blows and far more damaging. Imavov beautifully slipped Borralho’s punches and landed counters all evening. Imavov maintained a strong presence in the center of the Octagon, as he cut off Borralho’s exits. Imavov also defended all five of Borralho’s takedown attempts.
It’s the first time Borralho has lost in the UFC, and it marked his first loss overall since 2015.
“Nassourdine was just the better man today,” Borralho said. “He was very fast, as I was expecting. I couldn’t attack that much. I wanted to make it entertaining for the fans and the UFC, so I tried to strike with one of the best strikers in the world. I think I need to find my adrenaline back. I need some, not motivation, but I was without adrenaline and couldn’t pick it up in this fight.”
It was a disappointing night for The Fighting Nerds, the Brazilian MMA team that has erupted in recent years with viral knockouts and a string of performance bonuses. In addition to Borralho’s loss, lightweight Mauricio Ruffy (12-2) also suffered his first defeat in the UFC. Ruffy, 29, was on the wrong end of a lopsided contest against France’s Benoit Saint Denis, who dominated him on the floor before submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
French fighters went 5-0 on Saturday’s card.
Veteran light heavyweight Paul Craig (17-10-1), of Scotland, announced his retirement after a TKO loss to Modestas Bukauskas.