Why this UFC Middleweight Declined The Backup Role for a UFC 319 Title Shot – Explained
While being positioned in the backup role for a UFC Middleweight championship fight is a coveted spot for many at 185 pounds, there are some fighters in the promotion who don’t necessarily leap at that kind of opportunity. This is the case for Nassourdine Imavov, who in all fairness, has his own upcoming fight booked in the weeks after the next UFC middleweight title fight.
At UFC 319 on August 16th, Dricus du Plessis will aim to defend his middleweight strap against the surging Khamzat Chimaev, while Imavov has a date locked in against Caio Borralho at UFC Paris on September 6th.
Speaking with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie, the number one middleweight contender touched on all of these moving parts and why he ultimately did not accept the backup role for the Chicago pay-per-view in less than two weeks’ time, Imavov said,
“They promised to Khamzat the belt before we did this performance against Adesanya, so what they offered us was to be the backup fighter for the title fight.”
“I agreed on that, but what I wanted was to fight for the belt, not to be the backup.”
“It was too much time between both, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to train for nothing.'”
“If I do a training camp for Adesanya or Khamzat and then none of them pull out, then I want to fight in Paris as the main event against Caio Borralho because he speaks too much.”
“My team and I agreed with the UFC I would be the backup, but without coming to the US, because if no one pulls out, I have to fight three weeks later in Paris.”
“I’m very sensitive to jet lag and everything. Maybe it’s better to focus on Caio Borralho.”
UFC Middleweight and the broader overview of the weight category
The UFC Middleweight class is in an interesting place right now with Nassourdine Imavov, who as mentioned earlier, is the number one contender, preparing to clash with the number six-ranked Caio Borralho in France. This bout appears to be a title eliminator by all accounts, with number two-ranked middleweight Sean Strickland looking to rebound after going 2-0 in title fights with reigning champion du Plessis.
Number four-ranked Israel Adesanya also finds himself in a bit of a rebuilding period with number five-ranked Reinier de Ridder putting together a huge body of work since debuting in the UFC, with his latest win coming over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on points. If Khamzat Chimaev gets his ideal outcome against DDP, it could throw the division into a further state of confusion, with ‘Borz’ having goals for titles across multiple weight categories.
