Caio Borralho wonders if UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and contender Khamzat Chimaev are dealing with issues ahead of UFC 319, and that’s why the promotion called him to be the backup fighter for Saturday’s main event.

Nassourdine Imavov is poking fun at Caio Borralho, the backup for the UFC 319 headliner. Dricus Du Plessis will look to defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event at UFC 319 on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) meets Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 258 main event on Sept. 6 from Accor Arena in Paris. Borralho will weigh in as the official backup for Du Plessis' title defense against Khamzat Chimaev in Saturday's UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at United Center in Chicago.

Following his impressive second-round knockout of ‘The Last Stylebender’ in February, Imavov was eager to get back to work. Speaking with MMA Junkie, the Dagestani revealed what inspired him to ask for a fight against Borralho in ‘The City of Light.’

The most likely immediate challenge to Chimaev’s throne is likely to emerge from that main event pairing in the French capital next month. Imavov currently holds the number one rank at 185lbs, fresh from his stunning knockout win over Israel Adesanya in the Middle East earlier this year.

Nassourdine Imavov confirms he declined the UFC 319 title fight backup slot, but says it was for quality reasons. With his UFC Fight Night 258 main event on the horizon, Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) doesn't see much reward in traveling across the world, battling jet lag and cutting weight, only to likely not even fight in the end.

UFC middleweight Caio Borralho believes that Robert Whittaker could be getting closer and closer to retiring from the sport of mixed martial arts.

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev are days away from battling in the UFC 319 main event in Chicago. In one of the biggest fights of the year, Du Plessis will put his belt on the line against arguably the toughest challenge of his title reign.

Although Caio Borralho's UFC tenure currently contains only a handful of fights, the 30-year-old has emerged as one of the more promising contenders in the multi-billion dollar organization.