Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho are on the hunt for Khamzat Chimaev.
The newly crowned middleweight champion awaits his first challenger and it could very well be determined Saturday when Imavov and Borralho face off in the UFC Paris main event.
Both men have arguably already made a case for a title shot, with Imavov—No. 3 at 185 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings—having lost just once in his past nine fights and Borralho going 7-0 since making his UFC debut in 2022. Along the way, Imavov and Borralho have defeated
a litany of longtime contenders, and now the only thing stopping them from a title shot is each other.
By the end of the week, fans will not only know who is the No. 1 contender in the division, but also have a better grasp of their chances of dethroning the undefeated Chimaev.
What: UFC Paris
Where: Accor Arena in Paris
When: Saturday, Sept. 6. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 3 p.m. ET also on ESPN+.
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho
Damn, this fight is so good.
Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho have both done enough for a title shot in my estimation and this matchup is worthy of headlining a pay-per-view. Yeah, I said it! Belts are props!
But it’s to our benefit that we get to see these elite 185ers throw down for the chance to fight Khamzat Chimaev, and it is an incredibly close fight to call.
As you’d expect, Imavov should have the advantage on the feet. He’s slick with his striking, packs a punch, and does a great job of controlling distance. He has a sharp killer instinct, too, and won’t overextend unless he’s sure he can find a finish or deliver significant damage. Borralho is no slouch on the feet, though, and is arguably the heavier hitter. One mistake and Borralho could be the one dropping Imavov.
Borralho’s mission should be to take this fight to the ground, where his tight jiu-jitsu game can give Imavov fits. But Imavov hasn’t shied away from grappling in his fights and he might decide to take the initiative and put Borralho on his back, rather than let Borralho bully him against the fence and work for takedowns.
In the end, I think Borralho’s grappling makes the difference, but if you were to run 100 simulations of this matchup right now you’d probably end up with a near 50-50 split. This time, I’m picking Borralho.
Pick: Borralho
Benoit Saint Denis vs. Mauricio Ruffy
Take the under. And if you’re feeling frisky, take Mauricio Ruffy.
I don’t feel completely comfortable picking Ruffy straight-up because Benoit Saint Denis could absolutely rush Ruffy in the opening two minutes and bludgeon him into oblivion. He has a crowd full of bloodthirsty Parisians behind him, you think Saint Denis isn’t eager to put on a show? Not to mention what he stands to gain from beating one of the highly vaunted Fighting Nerds. “BSD” was being talked about as a dark horse contender in the lightweight division not too long ago and beating Ruffy could put his name firmly back in that discussion.
Ruffy is simply electrifying in the standup and Saint Denis will give him plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff. Going directly at Ruffy might end up being the worst possible choice given the Brazilian’s arsenal of counters and spinning techniques. Well, worst for Saint Denis, best possible choice for us watching from the safety of our couches.
I’m all in on Ruffy as a threat to challenge for UFC gold some day so I have him stopping a rampaging Saint Denis with a sniper strike and leaving him slumped on the canvas.
Pick: Ruffy
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Paul Craig
Paul Craig is making the right decision by staying at light heavyweight, but even in one of MMA’s most lethargic divisions, it feels like he’s a step behind these days. Approaching 38 will do that to you.
Being slow and hittable is always bad, especially so when you’re matched up with a heavy hitter like Modestas Bukauskas. Even though his striking isn’t always the cleanest, Bukauskas finds a way to connect more often than not and he won’t have much trouble peppering Craig’s battle-worn chin. You never want to count any veteran out, especially a resourceful and resilient fighter like Craig, but this feels like he’s at the end of his UFC run.
Bukauskas by knockout.
Pick: Bukauskas
Bolaji Oki vs. Mason Jones
This is a super fun matchup on paper, especially if it stays on the feet for three rounds. If Mason Jones is smart, though, he’ll sprinkle in a mixing of the martial arts to avoid having his head taken off.
One look at Bolaji Oki and you see a fighter with the kind of knockout power that will snag him plenty of bonus checks in the future. He’s not just a wild slugger either, he’s methodical in his approach and once he gets more experience, he’s going to be detonating chins on the regular.
There’s definitely a world where Oki locks in and smokes Jones early, but until we learn more about his grappling, that’s a weakness Jones could and should exploit. Jones will enjoy trading shots with the Belgian striker until the time comes for him to take the fight to the mat and grind Oki down.
Jones by decision.
Pick: Jones
Axel Sola vs. Rhys McKee
Rhys McKee. UFC winner. It’s real.
In his second stint with the promotion, McKee finally scored an elusive win when he earned a doctor stoppage TKO over Daniel Frunza this past April. McKee is only a few days shy of turning 30 despite having a ton of experience, so it could be that the talented Cage Warriors product is finally hitting his stride.
Axel Sola enters Saturday with plenty of hype and an impress résumé, having defended the Ares FC lightweight title four straight times before getting the UFC call. He returns to welterweight for his debut, so his team better have a good plan to deal with the rangy McKee.
Fortunately for Sola, he has a well-rounded skill set and power in both hands, which spells trouble for McKee, whose defensive shortcomings have always held him back from taking his game to the next level. It might take Sola a round or two to find his octagon legs, but I’m confident he finds McKee’s chin and scores a knockout.
Pick: Sola
William Gomis vs. Robert Ruchala
I’m curious to see how Robert Ruchala’s style translates to the octagon. The KSW standout’s strategy is primarily comprised of two phases: An evasive standup style that emphasizes lateral movement and a meat-and-potatoes wrestling attack in which he makes efficient use of top control. He has to deal with a UFC veteran in Gomis, who specializes in drawing opponents into unappealing fights.
If that sounds like I’m damning Gomis with faint praise, well, I am. Gomis has all the skills of a contender but he rarely puts them together in a way that wows you. Wins are wins and nobody can take that away from him, you’d just like to see him make more of a statement when he has his hand raised, you know?
Opportunities to impress in this one will be few and far between as I expect Ruchala to spend a lot of time on the outside looking for openings to counter or shoot, while Gomis contentedly picks him apart from distance. Ruchala is a wild card who’s been fighting pro for less than six years, so he could bring something dynamic to his UFC debut. However, if patterns hold, Gomis likely does just enough to win a decision.
Pick: Gomis
Preliminaries
Oumar Sy def. Brendson Ribeiro
Ante Delija def. Marcin Tybura
Harry Hardwick def. Kaue Fernandes
Sam Patterson def. Trey Waters
Robert Bryczek def. Brad Tavares
Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Andreas Gustafsson
Sam Hughes def. Shauna Bannon
