Nassourdine Imavov calls for Khamzat Chimaev title fight after UFC Paris win

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 6:35 PM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

The main event for UFC Paris saw Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho square off to try and earn a crack at the UFC middleweight title.

Capping off a stacked night of fights that featured plenty of European and French talent, Imavov shut down Borralho's attempts to bring him to the mat and largely outstruck the Brazilian on the feet to secure his fifth win in a row.

The matchup was tabbed as a potential middleweight title eliminator leading up to the event, and after getting his hand raised "The Sniper" called for a fight with recently-crowned UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Nassourdine Imavov Stifles Caio Borralho At UFC Paris

Entering the night as the UFC's #2-ranked middleweight following four-straight wins, Imavov was actually lined as a slight underdog to Borralho after "The Natural" defeated Jared Cannonier to extend an unbeaten start to his UFC career.

Here we go @Imavov1 vs @BorralhoCaio is LIVE! #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/hYmDmqcX2V
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2025

Imavov immediately took the center of the cage from the start of the fight, and Borralho was largely content to work around the edge of the cage and trade strikes with the Frenchman until he was able to clinch up against the cage for the final minute of the opening round.

Things carried on in a similar vein for the majority of the second round until Borralho briefly looked for a single leg attempt that was easily stuffed. The Brazilian actually turned his back on Imavov and walked away during the waning seconds of the round, and things got considerably more intense at the start of the third frame as both men met in the center of the cage and traded strikes.

An inadvertent groin strike from Borralho briefly brought things to a halt before the pair returned to kickboxing, but the action paused once again late in the round when "The Natural" was poked in the eye. The 32-year-old came out aggressively following the brief stoppage, but Imavov still looked to be ahead on the scorecards after 15 minutes of action.

Imavov landed some of his biggest combos in a fourth round where Borralho also came close to finally bringing the fight to the mat. With "The Sniper" seemingly at least three rounds up, Borralho finally started to really open up with his strikes in the final round but wasn't able to sway the judges from awarding Imavov a unanimous decision victory.

"I AM NEXT!" ️@Imavov1 calls his shot at the middleweight title after his win at #UFCParis! pic.twitter.com/jQAXec0mhz
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2025

Imavov vs. Borralho closed out an action-packed night of fights at the Accor Arena in Paris. All seven of the card's prelim bouts ended inside the distance, and the main card also included stoppage-wins from Axel Sola, Mason Jones, Modestas Bukauskas, and Benoit Saint-Denis' in the night's co-main event.