September 6 was a big night for Nassourdine Imavov and his middleweight title ambitions.
In front of his home fans in Paris, Imavov defeated Caio Borralho over five rounds to potentially set himself up as the next challenger.
The Frenchman got his hand raised following a great fight, but some have questioned whether his performance was enough to guarantee him the matchup that he’s chasing.
There is still one other fight that is set to take place which could change where Imavov currently stands in the title picture at 185 pounds.
After Chimaev reacted to the UFC Paris main event, another man that is in the running to challenge the undefeated champion also spoke out.
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Reinier de Ridder jokes about the UFC Paris main event before showing respect to both men
Nassourdine Imavov did look impressive in his win on Saturday night but the competitive nature of the fight and decision outcome could end up coming back to bite him.
Some may argue that the biggest winners on September 6 were Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez, who are set to meet in a main event next month.
If either man is able to go out there and produce a statement performance, they could jump ahead of Imavov in the title shot queue despite his impressive win streak.
De Ridder, who Joe Rogan believes is the most interesting challenge for Khamzat Chimaev, gave his thoughts on the fight shortly after the conclusion of the main event.
At first, he mocked the fight for going to a decision following some back-and-forth rounds before tipping his hat to both men.
“I fell asleep on the couch, did I miss anything?… Just playing, congrats to both warriors. Great fight!”
Fans argue that Nassourdine Imavov’s win isn’t enough to guarantee him a title shot
There was already a strong argument that Nassourdine Imavov was the most deserving middleweight title challenger before his UFC Paris win.
While he got another big victory to extend his current run, fans still argued that he’s in serious danger of missing out on being the first challenger to face Khamzat Chimaev in the near future.
‘It was boring. Imavov needs another win for a title shot.’
‘The way this fight between Nassourdine Imavov & Caio Borralho played out (neither a finish, nor barn burner) leaves the door open for Reinier de Ridder & Anthony Hernandez to steal the title shot. This is perfect for those two, a finish can make one of them next challenger.’
‘The way Caio Borralho vs Nassourdine Imavov turned out, Fluffy Hernandez vs Reinier de Ridder may now be for a UFC title shot if wasn’t already.