It’s clear that Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho have the title of their sights.
With a brand new champion on the helm, each are attention-grabbing stylistic matchups for the brand new champion, Khamzat Chimaev. However with Dana White saying that Imavov vs. Borralho and Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez are the 2 fights that can decide what’s subsequent for the brand new king, each the Frenchman and Brazilian are below stress to carry out.
With the UFC bringing Imavov to France a 3rd time and with Borralho’s meteoric rise, the stress will make a diamond and current a novel matchup for Chimaev, who appears invincible.
Nassourdine Imavov, the properly rounded
Out of the 4 fighters within the operating for Khamzat Chimaev, Nassourdine Imavov is probably going probably the most rounded (an argument will be made for Fluffy). With Chimaev being so nice in a single space of combating, it might take somebody who’s nice in every single place and somebody to take management of the combat.
Imavov is an extremely correct striker, touchdown at a 55% clip. His counter wrestling is nice, as seen towards Brendan Allen, Imavov is continually bettering. His distinctive enchantment to a combat with Khamzat Chimaev could be that Imavov might theoretically maintain the combat occurring his personal phrases, one thing Dricus Du Plessis couldn’t.
Caio Borralho, the pressure of nature
Hailing from The Preventing Nerds, Caio Borralho is main the cost for the Brazilian health club to seize a number of titles. At 7-0 within the UFC, Borralho has been nothing in need of spectacular. 5 profession knockouts and 4 submissions, Borralho is harmful in every single place.
Borralho’s takedown protection hasn’t been nice, having been taken down twice in previous fights. However his jiu jitsu is formidable however not optimum towards a fighter like Chimaev. On the ft, nevertheless, and with improved takedown protection, Borralho is a extra attention-grabbing matchup for Chimaev. However Imavov is a troublesome activity and never one that can problem him like Chimaev.
Caio Borralho might want to placed on an unbelievable efficiency, as Imavov will want. UFC Paris might be a staging floor for an enormous upset in entrance of Imavov’s house crowd. For Imavov, a spectacular win in entrance of the French devoted might punch the ticket.
