Caio Borralho is coming off a victory over Jared Cannonier in August 2024. | Getty/UFC Caio Borralho was not surprised by the result of the UFC 319 headliner. With the experience of having trained with Khamzat Chimaev in Sweden for one month,

Caio Borralho wonders if UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and contender Khamzat Chimaev are dealing with issues ahead of UFC 319, and that’s why the promotion called him to be the backup fighter for Saturday’s main event.

Following his impressive second-round knockout of ‘The Last Stylebender’ in February, Imavov was eager to get back to work. Speaking with MMA Junkie, the Dagestani revealed what inspired him to ask for a fight against Borralho in ‘The City of Light.’

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.

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev are days away from battling in the UFC 319 main event in Chicago. In one of the biggest fights of the year, Du Plessis will put his belt on the line against arguably the toughest challenge of his title reign.

Nassourdine Imavov is poking fun at Caio Borralho, the backup for the UFC 319 headliner. Dricus Du Plessis will look to defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event at UFC 319 on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Despite Imavov being the No. 1 ranked contender in the division, Borralho will step on the scale as the official backup in Chicago. As it turns out, that’s because ‘The Sniper’ had already turned down the UFC’s offer to be the backup for du Plessis vs. Chimaev.

Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) lost a split decision to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) last week in the UFC on ABC 9 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The former UFC champion lost two straight for the first time at middleweight, and is no longer ranked in the top five.

This is going to be FUN 👀 Reinier de Ridder vs Anthony Hernandez is the #UFCVancouver main event! Tickets on sale Friday | Learn more: https://t.co/Sy7avEfmJe pic.twitter.com/Uoi2AStUWT