Nassourdine Imavov explains declining UFC 319 backup spot
UFC middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov speaks to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun ahead of his UFC Fight Night 258 headliner against Caio Borralho.
Nassourdine Imavov confirms he declined the UFC 319 title fight backup slot, but says it was for quality reasons.
With his UFC Fight Night 258 main event on the horizon, Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) doesn’t see much reward in traveling across the world, battling jet lag and cutting weight, only to likely not even fight in the end.
He initially agreed to fill the role when it seemed the impending title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev would happen in late Spring or early Summer. But after the timeline pushed, Imavov declined.
Even the Sept. 2 showdown vs. Caio Borralho in Paris, he views as a bit of a placeholder, though a necessary one.
“I was like, ‘OK, if the title fight is in August and I have to be the backup, then I don’t want to train for nothing. I don’t want to train for nothing,'” Imavov told MMA Junkie on Tuesday through a French-language interpreter. “… So I was like, ‘Maybe it’s better to focus on Caio Borralho.’ The UFC asked us a few weeks ago for me to come in the U.S. for the weigh-ins and everything. I said no because I have a fight that’s scheduled three weeks later. So I don’t have time to travel and have jet lag. I want to be in the best condition for my fight. That’s why I said, ‘No, I won’t come. Maybe they’ll put Caio at this place.’ But right now, I’m only focusing on Caio in Paris. Bring him.”
Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) instead will weigh in Aug. 15 in Chicago. He proudly revealed the backup fighter designation himself on social media.
To Imavov, the designation is no accolade, however.
“For me, it’s his problem,” Imavov said. “He agreed to that because he was honored to be the backup, but he’s just taking my leftovers because I declined. Otherwise, if I hadn’t declined, the UFC wouldn’t call him to be the backup. He has to understand this. In my mind, I hope he won’t use it as excuses or dodge the fight. I will be ready Sept. 6 and he has to be ready. Because he has spoken a lot. No excuses.
“Even for me, being the backup for a title shot it’s not an honor for me. Because when I want to fight for the title, I want to have my face on the poster. Because what’s he going to do? He’s going to make weight and be in another (city) there in Chicago. No one will speak about him. He doesn’t have any road at the end of the day and everyone will forget after the fight happens because Khamzat and DDP and everyone will forget Caio was the backup. It’s something that doesn’t have any sense. No one is speaking about the backup fighter.”
Title eliminator – no question, affirms Imavov
Imavov says without question, if he gets through Borralho, he’ll be the next UFC middleweight title challenger. He says the UFC has told him as much.
A win would make it five victories in a row over top-10 opponents since February 2024. Other victories in the stretch include Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen, and Israel Adesanya.
“It’s very simple: I’m a complete fighter,” Imavov said. “I consider myself as a complete fighter. So if it has to go to the ground, it’ll go to the ground. I will welcome him to the ground. If it stays standing, it will be (better) and I will just demolish him. The thing is that I don’t speak too much but when I fight, I want to bring a real show to my fans.”
“… He just wants to win the fight in this way, having a weird fight, a not interesting fight. That’s not how I’m used to doing. For me, I’ll make this fight in spectacular fashion. It’s important for me to show people that I can make a boring fighter, a great fight.”
