You will be hard pressed to find someone more qualified to speak on the current state of the UFC middleweight division than long-reigning champion Israel Adesanya.
The Last Stylebender was king of the 185-pounders for nearly four-years, and is still mixing it with the top contenders at 36-years-of-age.
After Khamzat Chimaev won the middleweight belt at UFC 319 in August, there is a sense of new life in the division, with several contenders trying to line up their own title shot in the near future.
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Two such contenders will face off this coming weekend in Paris, as Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho do battle in a five-round main event.
Imavov built his name off the back of a stunning knockout win over Adesanya earlier this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The two had a back-and-forth affair before an overhand right into ground punches from the Dagestani-Frenchman extended Adesanya’s current losing streak to three.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the former champion was complimentary of Imavov’s style, but believes Borralho has the skills to get the job done.
“Imavov is tough, he’s hard to finish,” said Adesanya.
“If he’s able to push you behind the black [boundary] line, then he’s able to get his work going. That’s where he does his best work from.
“I like this fight. I think this is a well-matched fight stylistically.
“Caio is going to get his hand raised at the end.”
As the UFC rankings are currently constituted, Imavov sits at number two at middleweight, while Barralho is down at number seven.
According to The Last Stylebender, the winner will “most likely” be next in line for a shot at Chimaev, and with the state of the division, there’s also a case to be made that the loser could be matched with a rebounding Adesanya in his next fight.
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