3 Weapons That Could Scare Even Khamzat Chimaev, Pointed Out by Top UFC Contender’s Team

At UFC 319 on August 15, 2025, many thought Khamzat Chimaev would finally face some real adversity in his career. Even former champions like Robert Whittaker backed Dricus du Plessis to pull off the upset. However, ‘Borz’ once again proved why fans had him as the favorite in the Chicago headliner. He put on a stellar performance to defeat the South African champion fair and square. That raised the big question — do the middleweights actually have what it takes to beat the new champ? Well, a French fighter’s manager seems to think his guy does so.

After UFC Fight Night in Paris on September 6, fans believe Nassourdine Imavov might just be that guy! The Russian-French 185er recently pushed Caio Borralho out of the title race, extending his win streak to five, which also includes the name of former two-division champ Israel Adesanya. Still, doubts remain over whether he can withstand Chimaev’s relentless grappling. But if you ask his manager, Yunes Benabdelouahed, he sees three key weapons that could prove deadly against the reigning champ. 

Nassourdine Imavov’s manager lists 3 dangerous weapons against Khamzat Chimaev 

At the Fight Club podcast, Imavov’s manager highlighted the first attribute as his championship heart. Benabdelouahed said, “I think Nassourdine’s biggest weapon, well, there are several weapons actually. If I had to mention three elements, first of all, it would be his heart. He already has the heart of a champion. I think that’s an element we don’t highlight enough, because we always talk about boxing skills, power, and physical ability. Nassourdine is someone who has the heart of a champion, who has dedicated his life to all this.”

That’s true, ‘The Sniper’ does possess the heart of a champion. A great example was how he took the fight against Caio Borralho at UFC Paris. Imavov was in a strong position after defeating Israel Adesanya at the UFC Saudi Arabia main event in February. But some fans still questioned his win over one of the greatest middleweights, dismissing it as a victory over a “washed” ‘Last Stylebender.’ Yet, Imavov proved everyone wrong by not only accepting the fight with Borralho but also winning it.

That’s a testament to the 29-year-old’s bulletproof mindset. After talking about Imavov’s heart, his manager also pointed out how his footwork and speed could cause problems for wrestlers. He added, “He has unmatched speed, both in his footwork and his arm speed. And most importantly, his speed in itself can counter the best wrestlers because he has impressive timing and distance management.”

Although Imavov has primarily fought strikers, his bout with Brendan Allen showed tremendous movement. Even though Allen tried to take him down a couple of times, Imavov stood tall and decimated ‘All-In’ in the stand-up game. Obviously, there are levels when comparing Chimaev’s grappling to Allen’s. Still, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Dagestani native could run into problems if Imavov plays his cards right.

Lastly, Benabdelouahed mentioned one more key element, which is about Imavov’s fight IQ. He said, “And the third element is his fight IQ. Because one thing we don’t realize is that, obviously, there’s a whole game plan and strategy that’s put in place. But none of that would be possible without Nassourdine’s adaptability and fighting instinct. In fact, Nassourdine is someone who has learned a lot. I don’t know if you saw Nicholas H’s interview at that time, where he talked about the fact that Nassourdine has learned a lot through sparring.”

For the unversed, Benabdelouahed was referring to Imavov’s head coach, Nicolas Ott’s interview on YouTube, uploaded by La Sueur. There, Nicholas admitted a fight with Khamzat Chimaev would be complicated, but presented an interesting comparison. He pointed to Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev at UFC 284, where ‘The Great’ neutralized much of the grappling threat and nearly pulled off the upset in the fifth round. In the same way, Imavov’s team believes that with the right preparation, he could recreate that kind of magic against ‘Borz.’    

Although there isn’t much information available on how many rounds Nassourdine Imavov goes through before an important fight, it is known that he sparred with Ciryl Gane ahead of his scheduled bout with Kelvin Gastelum in 2023. That fight eventually turned into a 205 lbs contest against Sean Strickland after Gastelum withdrew. Still, relying on his fight IQ, Imavov managed to go toe to toe with the former champ on short notice.

That shows just how much hard sparring can make a difference. So yes, Imavov definitely has what it takes to give a challenge to the champ. Now, after the UFC Paris main event, the Russian-Frenchman has only one thing in mind: facing Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title.

Nassourdine Imavov wants nothing but a title fight against ‘Borz’   

Imavov was already shaping up as the contender who might be next in line for a title shot. However, the middleweight division has been buzzing with names like Reinier de Ridder, Anthony Hernandez, and Caio Borralho. So naturally, there were questions about who would actually challenge Chimaev next. But with a staggering win over the Fighting Nerds’ captain, ‘The Sniper’ believes he’s done what was necessary.

At the UFC Paris post-fight presser, Imavov said, “People said that against Adesanya, he was the best striker in the world and that I couldn’t fight with him, but I knocked him out on the feet. This guy, Caio, I didn’t have to fight against him, but I did it. He was coming from a 10-year run of victories, 16 victories, and seven victories in the UFC. I fought him, I won every round, and once again I proved that I’m the best. For me, there is no discussion that I’m [not] going to fight for the belt.”

Well, Nassourdine Imavov made the case to be the frontrunner for the title shot. However, the UFC Vancouver main event between ‘RDR’ and ‘Fluffy’ was also shaping up to be a contender bout. But with Hernandez sidelined by injury, Brendan Allen has now stepped in. That opens the door for the #2-ranked middleweight to be next in line for gold.

That said, what do you think? Could Imavov secure the next title shot against Chimaev? And if he does, will he pose the problems his manager has been pointing out? Let us know in the comments section below!