CAIO BORRALHO has vowed to make himself the “undeniable” next challenger for Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight title.
Chimaev ushered in a new era at 185lbs last month with a lopsided points win over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, although his dominance wasn’t appreciated by the fans in attendance.
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A wealth of contenders are champing at the bit to be the Chechen clubber’s first assignment as champion.
Brazilian bruiser Borralho had a front-row view for Chimaev’s mauling of DDP in Chicago as he was the back-up fighter for the main event.
And he’ll look to stake his claim for the next crack at the belt on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Paris against Nassourdine Imavov.
An emphatic win over the Russian-born Frenchman will see the Dana White‘s Contenders’ Series contract winner move to a perfect 8-0 inside the octagon.
And he firmly believes it’s one that will punch his ticket to a much-coveted title shot.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: “I’ve already seen myself with my hand raised.
“I’ve been working a lot, I’ve been shooting for this guy a lot, for the past four, five, six months. And I’m 100% sure I’ll get the win.
“It doesn’t matter how as we’re talking about high-level fighters. But in this kind of competition, every detail matters.
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“But I think I have everything figured out just right now.
“I think he’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s young and fast.
“But I’m aware of all this and I’m willing to fight him in his hometown.
“I’m not gonna say [I’m going to] shut the crowd [up], but I think the crowd will be calling out my name afterwards.
“And after that it will be undeniable my title shot.”
The back-and-forth between Borralho and Imavov on social media ahead of fight night has been nothing short of brilliant.
Borralho has enjoyed the banter but takes exception to Imavov’s suggestion that he was ducking him.
The 32-year-old said with a smile on his face: “That’s hilarious. But actually, he’s lying to himself because he’s not [been] calling me out.
“He was shot all the time. I’ve been calling him out for the past four months trying to get this fight.
He ran away as much as he could, but I’m coming to his house to beat him up.”
Caio Borralho on Nassourdine Imavov
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“We were supposed to fight today in the International Fight Week, and he said no.
“So he ran away as much as he could, but I’m coming to his house to beat him up. I’m coming to his hometown.”
Claiming the scalp of Imavov, who is fresh off a stunning KO win over former long-reigning champion Israel Adesanya, on enemy territory will be no easy feat.
Stylistically, the tall and rangy Frenchman represents the toughest test of Borralho’s near-flawless mixed martial arts career.
But the popular Fighting Nerd is adamant he has a game plan in place to take out ‘The Sniper’.
“I’m not giving you my game plan,” he said. “OK. But I just think he’s very fast and I need to be aware of his speed.
“It’s just gonna be all about distance control, pressure, and positioning myself in a good way so I don’t get caught with his speed.”
