Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho went the distance in the main event of an epic night of action for the annual UFC Paris showcase.
Top middleweight contenders Imavov and Borralho had a big night of action to follow as all but one fight on the entire show ended in a stoppage. As the pair made their walks, they were facing the prospect of breaking the record for most finishes in one UFC event, after the knockout one had already been broken.
Unfortunately, the pair didn’t deliver in front of a raucous crowd at the Accor Arena, who were clearly given value for their money. They went to the scorecards for just the second time in the evening, with Imavov bringing the score to 5-0 for France on the night and ending Borralho’s 10-year unbeaten run.
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Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho UFC Paris result
Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho were both riding impressive winning runs prior to UFC Paris. However, they both knew that just a win wouldn’t be enough, and that an impressive victory was needed to guarantee a shot at Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight title.
The final moments before walking couldn’t have been worse for the Brazilian as he watched his Fighting Nerds teammate Mauricio Ruffy suffer the first defeat of his UFC career to Benoit Saint-Denis. And it led to a tentative start in the opening exchanges throughout rounds one and two.
Eventually Imavov began to open up and land big shots, particularly to the body and a spinning backfist in the second. In the third, the home fighter clearly wobbled Borralho and had him grappling for safety, but the fight was stopped briefly for a low blow seconds after.
The Brazilian recovered well and even landed a solid shot of his own, before another stoppage this time as he was poked in the eye. The fourth and fifth saw Imavov land big punches, as Borralho pushed for a finish knowing he was unlikely to score a decision win.
50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 were the cards in favor of the hometown Imavov.
UFC Paris was record-breaking night for MMA’s biggest promotion
The main event certainly had a lot to live up to on a night that saw records tied for stoppages. There were nine knockouts and two submissions in the lead-up to the final fight, levelling a record last touched in 2014.
Back then, it was a show headlined by Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping that did the job.
The event also broke the record for knockouts at a single event, which had stood for years. It was equalled last year in Atlantic City with eight, but before even the co-main event tonight there were already nine.