MMA Knockout

Nassourdine Imavov snubs UFC title eliminator with dark horse

Mathew Riddle

Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Another day, another top UFC contender denying a potential fight.

No. 1-ranked middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov is on the cusp of a UFC title shot, and he's not willing to consider anything else.

With rumors of Dricus Du Plessis being injured, many fighters have put their names forward to compete for an interim title, including No. 6 Caio Borralho.

The Fighting Nerds prospect originally wanted to fight Imavov before jumping ship to an interim title fight with Khamzat Chimaev.

With that in mind, Imavov has given his thoughts on fighting Borralho in a title eliminator.

Nassourdine Imavo
Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nassourdine Imavov insists Caio Borralho is trying to 'fall forwards' by demanding a fight

Imavov believes he'd knock out Borralho, but isn't keen on letting him 'fall forward' and progress his career by losing.

"He'll get [knocked out]. He'll sleep," Imavov told Championship Rounds. "Then they're gonna say, 'It's normal. He [Imavov] was No. 1, you see.'

"That's their way of managing their careers. Falling forwards. It's better to fall forwards than backwards. . . . So wait your turn." [Translated by @ChampRDS on X]

Imavov rides a four-fight winning streak, each against ranked opposition. Borralho hasn't done any 'falling forward' as Imavov explains, since he is 7-0 in the UFC, but Imavov stakes a better claim for title contention. 'The Sniper's' biggest win came against Israel Adesanya.

However, Borralho alleges Chimaev has accepted the call for an interim title fight so Imavov might be out of luck. Imavov could consider a rematch with Sean Strickland or another win over a former champion in Robert Whittaker instead of a title fight.

More MMA Knockout News


Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing. Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

Home/News