Nassourdine Imavov Aims for UFC Middleweight Title in 2025
The fight was a chance to turn a strong 2024 run into a serious title case. Imavov did more than make a statement. He stopped Adesanya in the second round, then added another major win later that year.
Imavov arrived in Saudi Arabia after three victories in 2024. He opened the year by beating Roman Dolidze by majority decision, rallied to stop Jared Cannonier with strikes in the fourth round, and closed the season with a unanimous-decision win over Brendan Allen in Paris. Those results came against established middleweights and moved the Russian-born, Paris-based contender into the division’s top tier. The official fighter record lists each of those wins.
Against Adesanya, Imavov faced a veteran known for distance striking, feints and counterattacks. The first round was competitive, with both fighters finding moments at range. Early in the second, Imavov landed a right hand that dropped Adesanya, then followed with punches to force the stoppage at 30 seconds of the round. The official event report records the finish as a knockout. It was Adesanya’s second consecutive stoppage loss and Imavov’s fourth consecutive victory.
Watch: The official post-fight interview with Imavov covers his knockout win over Adesanya.
The win strengthened Imavov’s case for a title opportunity, but a contender’s momentum does not guarantee an immediate championship booking. Rather than treating the January 2025 headline as a promise that he would challenge for the belt, the record shows the step he actually took: he beat a former champion in a main event and became a more credible option in a crowded division. The result also gave matchmakers a clear basis for matching him with another leading contender.
That next test came in Paris on September 6, 2025, when Imavov headlined against Caio Borralho. In a five-round fight, he won by unanimous decision, with the official scorecards reading 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. Borralho entered unbeaten in the promotion, so the result added a second top-level victory after Adesanya rather than simply extending the earlier streak against lower-ranked opposition. The official scorecards confirm the decision and scores.
Imavov’s 2024 schedule also showed why the Adesanya booking mattered. The Dolidze fight ended a stretch without a win, the Cannonier bout tested him against a dangerous former title challenger, and the Allen matchup asked him to sustain his pace over three rounds. The results were not identical: he edged Dolidze on the scorecards, finished Cannonier, and won a decision over Allen. Together, they set up the Riyadh main event without making a title shot automatic.
By the end of 2025, Imavov had followed his three wins in 2024 with victories over Adesanya and Borralho. It still does not establish when a title shot would come or who a future opponent would be. The measured update is that Imavov turned his 2025 ambition into two consequential wins, including a knockout of a former champion and a five-round decision over another ranked contender.
