Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev and others react to Nassourdine Imavov's win over Caio Borralho at UFC Paris: "Dominant performance"

Nassourdine Imavov showed once again why he is a dangerous contender in the middleweight title picture with a composed performance against Caio Borralho in the UFC Paris main event.

The French contender secured his second straight victory as a headliner and extended his winning streak to five with a unanimous decision win. The judges scored it 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 in his favor.

Imavov started slowly and allowed Borralho to take the opening round. From the second frame onward, he found his timing and began dictating the pace. He kept the fight standing and consistently landed sharper strikes.

Over the final three rounds, Imavov managed distance, punished entries, and kept control of the exchanges. The victory cements Imavov as a leading contender in the division. With Khamzat Chimaev newly crowned as champion, the question now is who earns the first crack at the belt.

Fighters and peers quickly reacted to his victory. Islam Makhachev praised the performance, writing:

"Dominant performance @imavov1. Congrats, bro."

Chimaev congratulated him with a warm message:

"Good fight! Assalamu Alaykum."

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling wrote:

"Another marquee win for Imavov. Tough because I’m wondering what the game plan was of Borralho. I thought he would’ve been looking for the takedown a little more frequently but it seems like he was content to stand up and fight."

Meanwhile, Henry Cejudo recognized the win but pointed to the winner of Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez potentially getting the next shot:

"Great win for Imavov, but I think the winner of RDR/Fluffy is getting the next title shot #UFCParis."

Some other fans wrote:

"Wasn’t a 50-45 lol clear hometown bias but good win for Imavov. I just don’t see him beating Chimaev."

"Well done, Imavov is not the most spectacular fighter, but his precision and striking power are impressive. It'll be interesting to see how he fares against a well-rounded guy like Chimaev."

"Great performance by Imavov. Fast hands, very technical boxing, and great takedown defense."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Pros and fans react to UFC Paris main event. [Screenshots courtesy: @ufc on X and fighter accounts]