Nassourdine Imavov puts his No. 1 ranking on the line against rising middleweight contender Caio Borralho in a high-stakes main event showdown at UFC Paris.
Imavov jumped to the top of the list in February with a shocking second-round knockout of Israel Adesanya. Now, he’ll look to solidify his spot as the next man in line for newly minted middleweight king Khamzat Chimaev when he meets the Fighting Nerds co-founder in The City of Light.
Round 1
Borralho gets the offense started with a high kick as Imavov puts on some early pressure. They trade front body kicks before Borralho goes back to the high kick. Imavov is taking his time, downloading information on Borralho. Just past the two-minute mark, Borralho shoots in for a takedown. Imavov staves him off and separates. Borralho connects with a body kick as Imavov continues to show hesitancy.
Imavov throws a counter that gets a big reaction from the live crowd. Borralho attempts to close the distance again, pushing Imavov against the fence and clinching up. Borralho would keep Imavov’s back to the cage for the remainder of the round.
Round 2
Borralho once again opens with a high kick. Imavov is starting to let his hands go, countering a body kick from Borralho with a stiff combination. Borralho swings big, but he’s just out of range. Imavov lands a nice one-two and then rips to the body, showing off his speed. Borralho throws another body kick, but Imavov makes him pay for it with a spinning back fist that connects. With 90 seconds to go, Borralho shoots for a single leg, but Imavov stuffs it with ease.
Imavov lands a big left hand, then sticks Borralho with a right. Imavov is starting to fight his timing. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Borralho opts to walk away, allowing time to run out. Back at his corner, Borralho is bleeding from his left ear.
Round 3
Borralho comes out looking to pick up the pace, but he immediately eats a right hand that has him reeling. The two clinch up, and Borralho appears to have landed a knee to Imavov’s protective gear, prompting a pause in the action. Upon the restart, Borralho throws a body kick and gets a hook to the body in return. Borralho throws a step-in elbow, but Imavov does under and momentarily ties up before separating.
Borralho lands with a nice right hand, and Imavov acknowledges the blow. Borralho throws a front kick to Imavov’s face, but it doesn’t connect clean. Borralho throws a one-two, but Imavov appears to have poked him in the eye during the exchange, bringing us another pause. Borralho is ready to go after a few seconds. The fighters get right back to work, exchanging heavy shots. Imavov cracks Borralho with a right hook. Borralho shoots for a takedown, but ends up settling for a clinch against the cage.
Round 4
As we enter the final two rounds, Borralho begins targeting Imavov’s lead leg a bit more. Imavov just narrowly misses with a right hand before offering a kick that connects with Borralho’s cup. Borralho pauses briefly, but the fight continues without interruption from the referee. Imavov is starting to put pressure on Borralho and lands a nice counter combination. Imavov’s footwork throughout the fight has seemingly frustrated Borralho.
Borralho goes for another takedown, but again, Imavov fends it off and stays upright. Imavov still has a spring in his step while Borralho is showing signs of slowing down as we approach the final 90 seconds of the fourth. Imavov lands with a straight right down the pipe. Imavov clinches up and pushes Borralho to the fence with 30 seconds to go. On the break, Borralho throws a head kick that gets through the block of Imavov just before the horn.
Round 5
Borralho connects with a one-two that forces Imavov back. Borralho follows it up with a left-hand-right-hook combo—his best shot of the fight. Imavov comes right back with a stinging shot of his own, but Borralho’s appear to be the more significant strikes in the stanza. During an exchange, Borralho gets another poke to the eye, and the fight pauses once again.
Upon the restart, Borralho comes out swinging, likely realizing he needs a finish with just two minutes to go. Imavov throws a right hook. Borralho ties up, but he quickly separates. Borralho catches Imavov with a right coming in. Imavov moves in, and Borralho clinches up, pushing his opponent’s back to the fence. Borralho lets go at the 10-second warning, and the two fire off a barrage of strikes before the bell, sending us to the scorecards after 25 entertaining minutes of action.
Official Result: Nassourdine Imavov def. Caio Borralho via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46).
Check Out Highlights From Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho at UFC Paris:
🚨 The Crowd chanting Nassourdine Imavov name, in his fight against Caio Borralho
PARIS CROWD 🔥🔥🔥🔥#UFCParis— MMA 🦈 (@MMASharke1) September 6, 2025
Nassourdine Imavov lands a beautiful spinning fist against Caio Borralho 🔥🔥🔥#UFCParis
pic.twitter.com/01KDMtDxXq— MMA 🦈 (@MMASharke1) September 6, 2025
THEY GO THE DISTANCE 👀 #UFCParis
How did you score Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho?! pic.twitter.com/2hRK3GmYfu
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 6, 2025
🇫🇷 Nassourdine Imavov nous offre le 3-0 contre le Brésil à l’#UFCParis@imavov1 s’impose par décision unanime pic.twitter.com/sy7QOOrEgy
— UFC France (@UFCFRA) September 6, 2025
🗣️ Nassourdine Imavov:
“I AM NEXT, DANA.” 👀🏆 #UFCParispic.twitter.com/G7CbeAsxGV
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 6, 2025
