Nassourdine Imavov may have picked up a victory at UFC Paris, but fans are already assessing his chances against Khamzat Chimaev.
The UFC Paris card on Saturday night delivered some brilliant finishes and featured the retirement of Scottish MMA stalwart Paul Craig, ending his 21-fight UFC career.
All eyes were on the main event in France, which was charged with finding one of the next contenders to Chimaev’s middleweight title, which he won at UFC 319.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
His dominant victory over Dricus Du Plessis sent a message to a very wide-open division, which features Anthony Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder, who compete in a middleweight firecracker fight next month.
Nassourdine Imavov puts on a dominant display against Caio Borralho at UFC Paris to step closer to Khamzat Chimaev
However, it was Imavov who attempted to stake his claim at the title first, defeating Borralho by unanimous decision in a cagey and foul-ridden contest.
The Frenchman warmed into the first round, utilising his accurate striking to beat his foe to the punch every time.
His Brazilian counterpart struggled to find a way to take down ‘The Sniper’, who stuffed all five attempts successfully.
It was his fast, sharp boxing that won him the fight, but at times the bout was derailed by accidental pokes to the eye by the home fighter and a low blow by Borralho earlier in the contest.
The 29-year-old, though, was successful with a sweep on the judges’ scorecards of 50-45, and two 49-46 cards, a telling sign of his control of the bout.
After the fight, he once again declared his intention to be the next challenger for the Chechen champion, but fans are not convinced.
UFC fans are all saying the same thing about Nassourdine Imavov’s chances against Khamzat Chimaev after UFC Paris win
While the UFC faithful are awaiting the on-paper excitement of Hernandez and de Ridder, and have questioned the performance of the top contender, Imavov.
During the fight, one fan was convinced after three rounds of the contest that either man would struggle.
He wrote: “Chimaev is in a different league…he has no opposition in his category, a big shot to the head is required.”
Another, following the final bell, believed the organisation have navigated the middleweight title contender scene well.
They wrote: “49-46 Imavov. Now let’s see how Fluffy vs RDR plays out in Canada next month
“Imavov’s performance was impressive but doesn’t scream title shot. Smart by the UFC to not guarantee a title shot for this fight.”
A fan of Khamzat congratulated the star on his performance, but sent a warning to the French favourite.
“Well done to Imavov, he’s more than earned his shot. (He) Has nothing for the champ though Khamzat in one,” he claimed.
This fan also found himself in agreement in his reply to the win. He wrote: “It’s funny because he 100% deserves it, but he has absolutely no chance vs Khamzat.”
A Dutch fan got involved with the discussions and posted to express his support for his countryman’s chances against Chimaev over Imavov.
They wrote: “Let’s be real, Imavov is not going to beat Khamzat, only one right now is going to be RDR, so keep the belt warm while you can.”
Let’s be real Imavov is not going to beat Khamzat only one right now is going to be RDR so half the belt warm will you can @KChimaev
— Damian MMA 🇳🇱 (@DamianMMA_) September 6, 2025
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One other fan was in agreement with the rest, but he was also unhappy with the scoring of the contest.
“Whatever judge had that 50-45 is an idiot. There’s a better argument for 48-47 than 50-45,” he wrote.
“Good performance from Imavov, but nothing in his game says he can beat Chimaev.”
Imavov is now waiting for the result of the UFC Canada event to see whether either of the competitors can pull off a more sensational performance, which could scupper his chances of facing the dominant force.