Khamzat Chimaev: Ariel Helwani questions Nassourdine Imavov’s title shot chances against Khamzat Chimaev despite five-fight streak

Ariel Helwani recently questioned Nassourdine Imavov's chances of getting the next UFC middleweight title shot against Khamzat Chimaev. Helwani also reacted to Imavov's fight against Caio Borralho at UFC Paris last weekend.

While many expected Borralho to defeat Imavov, the Russian-born Frenchman outpointed the Brazilian over five rounds to get his hand raised via unanimous decision. With this fight being widely touted as a potential title eliminator alongside the Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez fight at UFC Vancouver in October, many fans wondered whether Imavov was next in line to challenge Chimaev.

In a recent episode of his show, Helwani shared his two cents on the matter and questioned Imavov's chances of getting a title shot. He said:

"I lament the fact that the UFC doesn't come out and say definitively. 'This fight is the No.1 contender fight.'... I'm not saying Imavov isn't going to be next for Khamzat; he has certainly done enough. He has won 5 in a row against quality opposition. He was very, very dominant against Caio Borralho."

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He continued:

"What I'm saying is, if 'Fluffy' Hernandez and/or 'RDR' do something spectacular on October 18 in Vancouver, British Columbia, I would not be surprised if they get the shot over Imavov... If that fight was at the Apex, Imavov would be in trouble. It felt bigger and more exciting because he was in Paris and that crowd is just absolutely unbelievable."

Robert Whittaker explains how Nassourdine Imavov could beat Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker recently shared his thoughts on a potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nassourdine Imavov fight and outlined how the Russian-born Frenchman could beat the reigning middleweight king.

In an episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker lauded Imavov's grappling prowess and said:

"I don't know how anyone beats Khamzat at the moment. His wrestling is so high-level. I feel like the way to beat him is with high-level jiu-jitsu. If Imavov has high-level back jiu-jitsu, which I know he does have high-level jiu-jitsu, but if it's that high-level, like Gilbert Burns' high-level, then maybe we'll see something. But also, fights are funny. Anything can happen. Maybe Chimaev dives into a knee or foot."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.