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USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Nassourdine Imavov abandons UFC 319 backup role, turns attention to Caio Borralho
Nassourdine Imavov abandons UFC 319 backup role, turns attention to Caio Borralho No backup anymore. Conditions changed. You wanted to talk son, I'm here, I'm gonna break you @BorralhoCaio 🤓 ⏳ — Imavov Nassourdine (@imavov1) June 17, 2025 Nassourdine Imavov says he's no longer the backup for the UFC 319 middleweight title fight. Instead, Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), the UFC-ranked No. 1 middleweight, wants a scheduled fight of his own against Caio Borralho. The 29-year-old French fighter did not explain why he's abandoning the backup role for Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev, which serves as the UFC 319 main event at United Center in Chicago. "No backup anymore," Imavov wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Conditions changed. You wanted to talk son, I'm here, I'm gonna break you @BorralhoCaio." Imavov has changed his tune on Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), after initially dismissing his callout. In April, Borralho claimed Imavov turned down a fight offer, which prompted the Brazilian to sound off. At the time, Imavov didn't see an upside to fighting Borralho, who is further down in the rankings. In the latest MMA Junkie/USA TODAY Sports middleweight rankings, Imavov holds the No. 4 spot with Borralho not too far behind at No. 8. Currently riding a four-fight winning streak that includes wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen, and former champion Israel Adesanya, Imavov is knocking on the door of a title shot. Borralho is rapidly climbing the ladder at 185 pounds as well, as he is undefeated through seven UFC bouts, including back-to-back bonus-earning performances in his most recent fights against Paul Craig and Jared Cannonier.
USA Today
23-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Anthony Hernandez 'still managed to gangster it out' at UFC Fight Night 252
SEATTLE – Anthony Hernandez admits things got a little hairy in the lead-up to UFC Fight Night 252. While he still gutted out a unanimous decision win over Brendan Allen in Saturday's co-main event at Climate Pledge Arena, Hernandez (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) said antibiotics made his life hell in the days prior – including Friday's weigh-in day when he was last to hit the scales. 'Let's just say I got off amoxicillin Friday. I felt like sh*t, and I'm not going to lie: I messed up my ribs two weeks ago. My ribs were f*cked before. It was just thank God for the (UFC Performance Institute). They were here and they helped me every f*cking day. We got it to be good enough for the fight and went out there and made it happen. … Dude, the f*cking pills. The amoxicillin was holding weight. I talked to the PI people, too, and they said the same thing. When you're on antibiotics it's very hard to cut weight. So when my body was trying to recover, I'm trying to deplete it. It was just a nightmare, but I'm pretty f*cking tough between the ears and made it happen. '… Yeah, that was f*cking sketchy, man. I was freaking out for a second. I'm not going to lie. But I f*cking managed to do it. I had to weigh in naked, but it is what it is. I was on antibiotics. Everything that could've went wrong, went wrong, and we still managed to gangster it out. It is what it is.' The win for Hernandez was his seventh in a row and the consensus biggest of his career, beating the No. 9 UFC-ranked middleweight in Allen (24-7 MMA, 12-4 UFC). He continues to inch closer to title contention. While he's never one to call for specific names, Hernandez made it known he wants someone in the top five who will propel him toward the title. 'It's a blessing, but at the same time, I'm still not happy because the only thing I want is the damn belt,' Hernandez said. 'All this other sh*t doesn't really matter to me. It's like, all right, cool: We did it. But I expected to do this. It's just like I was telling the coaches: It's back to work on Monday. I'll be in the gym. '… Honestly, I don't really give a f*ck (who I fight next). Give me somebody who is going to prove that I'm ready for a title shot. Anyone from (No.) 5 up, I'd love to fight.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
