The UFC 319 fundamental occasion now not has a backup fighter, as Nassourdine Imavov has shrugged off his dedication to the function.
UFC 319 is about for August 16 in Chicago, Illinois. The cardboard might be headlined by a middleweight title battle, as champion Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa seems to be to defend his belt towards undefeated Chechen juggernaut Khamzat Chimaev. It’s simply one of many largest fights of the yr, and everyone seems to be hoping it goes down as deliberate. Nevertheless, accidents do occur. Chimaev additionally sadly has a monitor document of withdrawing from fights on the final minute.
The danger of the UFC 319 fundamental occasion falling by prompted the corporate to name upon No. 1-ranked Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov to function the backup fighter for the occasion. In different phrases, he dedicated to stepping in if Du Plessis or Chimaev can’t make it to the cage.
Nassourdine Imavov shrugs of UFC 319 backup function
From the sounds of it, he’s now not . On Tuesday, Imavov took to social media to declare he’s bailing on his duties. He claimed “situations modified,” however gave no additional clarification. As an alternative, he set his fights on fellow contender Caio Borralho of Brazil.
No backup anymore. Circumstances modified. You wished to speak son, I’m right here, I’m gonna break you @BorralhoCaio 🤓 ⏳
— Imavov Nassourdine (@imavov1) June 17, 2025
“No backup anymore,” Imavov wrote. “Circumstances modified.
“You wished to speak son, I’m right here,” he added, tagging Borralho. “I’m gonna break you.”
Nassourdine Imavov is on among the best runs within the middleweight division proper now. In his final battle, he picked up the most important win of his profession so far, knocking out former champion Israel Adesanya. Had Chimaev not shocked followers with a submission of Robert Whittaker final week, Imavov could effectively have gotten the shot at Du Plessis at UFC 319. If he had been to beat Borralho, he’d be simple for a crack on the winner of the cardboard’s fundamental occasion.
