"I'm next" - Nassourdine Imavov calls dibs on Khamzat Chimaev's middleweight title after UFC Paris win

Nassourdine Imavov is confident that he will end Khamzat Chimaev's unbeaten run in style. At the recent UFC Paris event, Imavov secured a unanimous decision victory against Caio Borralho, extending his win streak to five.

While the fight had title implications, the promotion did not officially label it as the title eliminator. During the octagon interview, Michael Bisping asked Imavov if he believes he should be the next challenger for the middleweight title, currently held by Chimaev.

Imavov confidently responded:

"I am next!"

He added:

"Absolutely, no hesitation whatsoever, I'm next. It's been 10 years that he was unbeaten. And I [will] beat him, and I will beat him in style as well. So definitely, I need to be the next one. Guys, show me that we are in France here, we're not in Brazil." [Via translator]

Check out Nassourdine Imavov's comments below (2:10):

Following a couple of uninspiring performances in 2023, Imavov has demonstrated consistent improvement and has positioned himself as one of the top contenders in the middleweight division, defeating former champion Israel Adesanya in his last fight.

In his recent fight against Borralho, Imavov took control from the opening bell and landed the more meaningful strikes more consistently throughout the five rounds, while being the aggressor.

Although Borralho had his moments, Imavov did not allow him to gain momentum or consistent success, winning decisively by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 X 2).

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Khamzat Chimaev reacted to Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho

Middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has yet to comment specifically on Nassourdine Imavov's callout. However, he did react to the back-and-forth contest between Imavov and Caio Borralho in a recent post on X, writing:

"Good fight! Assalamu Alaykum."

Chimaev claimed the middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. Along with Imavov, other probable future title challengers for Chimaev include Reinier de Ridder, Anthony Hernandez, and Borralho.

While Imavov emerged victorious against Borralho, de Ridder and Hernandez are set to clash in October, determining another potential title challenger.