UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho has voiced his opinion that former champion Sean Strickland possesses a greater likelihood of defeating current titleholder Khamzat Chimaev compared to top-ranked fighter Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov, who previously defeated Borralho in 2025, is currently on an impressive five-fight winning streak.
In a recent interview, Borralho commended Strickland’s performance at UFC Houston, where he secured a third-round TKO victory over Anthony Hernandez, thereby re-establishing his position as a strong contender for a title shot.
Caio Borralho Favors Strickland Against Khamzat Chimaev Over Imavov
When asked to assess who stands a better chance against Khamzat Chimaev between Nassourdine Imavov and Sean Strickland, Borralho unequivocally picked the American fighter. Despite having his undefeated UFC run ended by “The Sniper” Imavov, Borralho, who has also trained with “Tarzan” Strickland, believes his former training partner has a more suitable style to face the Chechen-born Emirati champion.
Borralho explained his reasoning: “I think Imavov is the better striker, faster and all that. I felt that. I already fought with one of them and trained with the other, different styles. But I think that Imavov wouldn’t do so good with Khamzat’s wrestling, you know. That’s the way that I think Strickland could go. I don’t know if Strickland could really wrestle with Khamzat, but I think he could defend a little bit more and make Khamzat a little bit more tired and all that, but we all know that Khamzat’s wrestling is on another level. So, I think your question was if I think he would do better than Imavov. I think so.”
Borralho highlighted several key attributes of Sean Strickland’s fighting style that he believes could pose a serious threat to the UFC middleweight kingpin. These include Strickland’s precise jab, his relentless forward pressure, an unorthodox striking approach, and his distinct ability to control the pace of a fight while defending against takedowns.
In other news, Borralho recently returned to winning ways at UFC 326, where he secured a dominant unanimous decision victory over Reinier de Ridder. Following his performance, “The Natural” wasted no time in calling out former champion Dricus du Plessis for his next challenge, stating, “But I have one name in my mind, Joe. Dricus du Plessis, where are you, boy?”