The UFC Paris main event stars Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov have a common opponent, but they dealt with him in very different ways.
As the UFC eyes the next contender to Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight title, the organisation needs to look no further than the Borralho vs Imavov fight taking place tonight.
They fight for their place after UFC 319 produced the new champion, Chimaev, whose dominant victory over Dricus Du Plessis has put the weight class on notice.
The Brazilian is entering the contest on a seven-fight win streak, with two wins by finish, since earning a contract in the Dana White Contender Series in 2022.
His French opponent has worked his way up to second in the middleweight rankings with a recent victory over Israel Adesanya, grabbing the attention of the division.
UFC Paris stars Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov share a common opponent but one performance was controversial
As the pair are set to do battle, the main difference between the fighters is their experience in the organisation, but their performances against a shared rival may indicate how the fight will pan out.
Jared Cannonier faced the main event competitors back-to-back in 2024 and suffered defeats in both fights.
‘The Natural’, Caio was not able to finish Cannonier, whereas ‘The Sniper’ Imavov stopped the American in the fourth round of their bout.
But it was controversial because while Jared was stunned by a right hand and absorbed some shots, he was not in danger when the referee decided to call a halt to the bout.
The stoppage did not reflect a bout where ‘The Killa Gorilla’ had six minutes of control time on his opponent, and was only outlanded by 18 punches.
Borralho, who was unable to stop the then 40-year-old, landed 60% of his significant strikes (28% more than his opponent), outlanding him by 70 strikes.
His success on the ground was also impressive and will likely be the difference maker against Imavov in their main event fight.
Brazil’s own could use his jiu-jitsu skills to replicate the control that the Texas MMA star had over Nassourdine.
Jared Cannonier shares expert opinion on how Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov will fight at UFC Paris
Their common opponent, Cannonier, had spoken out about how the two fighters’ styles compare after competing against them last year.
Speaking to The Schmo in February, he explained what he gathered from sharing the Octagon with both men and who is more active.
He said: “They’re both different. I feel like one was more active than the other. I felt Caio Borralho is more active in the Octagon, he just does more things, employs a little bit more variety in his strategy.
“Whereas Imavov has more of a kickboxing, Muay Thai sort of energy where it’s timing-based, it’s basic, it’s precision and power in the strikes with a lot of patience and control.
“So I don’t know how that fight would go if they were to fight, but that’s how I expect them to fight.”
It won’t be long until these contenders share the Octagon, with the victor just that one step closer to the all-important goal of UFC middleweight gold.