UFC legend questions whether Caio Borralho's executioner deserves to face Khamzat Chimaev: 'Is it enough?'

Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borralho at UFC Paris . Photo: Reproduction/UFC

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Daniel Cormier is not entirely convinced that Nassourdine Imavov should fight for the UFC middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg). The Frenchman defeated Caio Borralho by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Paris , held last Saturday (6), and defended his second position in the category ranking. However, the former champion believes that the performance could have been more impressive to guarantee the fight for the title.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Cormier assessed that, despite Imavov's dominant victory over Caio Borralho , the result may not be enough to solidify him as the next title challenger. According to him, the division's landscape still depends on the performance of Anthony Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder , who will face each other at UFC Vancouver.

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“When you’re in the situation Imavov was in today and you get a dominant win like that, make no mistake: 4-1 on two scorecards, 5-0 on one. That’s a dominant win over a very good guy. But is that enough? Is that enough for people to say, ‘I don’t care what I’m going to see in Hernandez vs. De Ridder, I know I watched my number one contender fight when I watched UFC Paris ’?”, said Cormier.

According to the former champion, the absence of a knockout or submission weighs against Imavov. He emphasizes that another impactful performance from Anthony Hernandez could draw more attention and put him ahead in the title race.

“I think that, since it wasn’t a knockout or submission, people will want to wait and see, because if ‘Fluffy’ manages to repeat what he did in the last fight, they’ll say: ‘That’s more impressive. He looks more dangerous for Khamzat Chimaev .’ I think (Imavov) was incredible, but I don’t know if that solidified him, and that’s an unfortunate part of mixed martial arts,” he concluded.

Nassourdine Imavov 's victory at UFC Paris marked his ninth UFC win, his fifth consecutive. Meanwhile, Anthony Hernandez , his main contender for the title, is on an eight-fight winning streak and faces Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver , scheduled for October 18th.

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