Israel Adesanya thinks Nassourdine Imavov cemented himself as No. 1 contender after UFC Fight Night 258.
Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) outstruck Caio Borralho (17-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision win in Saturday’s main event at Accor Arena in Paris.
Adesanya initially picked Borralho to beat Imavov by decision, but was impressed with his former foe’s performance.
“Nassourdine came in and just showed why he’s the sniper,” Adesanya said on his YouTube Channel. “He was touching him, took it away, 4-1.”
Imavov called for the next title shot against newly crowned middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), and Adesanya broke down the potential fight.
“I think Khamzat vs. Imavov, but I’m not going to just cancel out Imavov now because of his takedown defense. If he can take away the wrestling from Khamzat, he’ll give him problems,” Adesanya said. “That’s all you have to do. Khamzat can strike, but I see what I see. His wrestling is his main weapon, and he commits a lot to the wrestling.
“He gets the f*cking grip, and he takes people down, keeps them down. If Nassourdine can get past that, he’ll give Khamzat problems. But right now, Khamzat is on point, and he’s got the momentum behind him. But so does Imavov. Who’s going to win? We’ll see.”
