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Nassourdine Imavov needed all 25 minutes but got the job done.
The Venum Training Camp stalwart moved ever closer to a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown with a five-round unanimous decision over Caio Borralho in the UFC Fight Night 258 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Imavov (17-4, 9-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judiciary.
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Borralho (17-2, 7-1 UFC), who entered the Octagon on a 14-fight winning streak, was a step behind the Russia-born Frenchman for much of the tactical battle and leaned heavily on kicks to the body and lower extremities. Imavov fed him a steady diet of front kicks to the gut, intermittent leg kicks and stout jabs, all while mixing in a few more exotic techniques. He managed the real estate beautifully with deft footwork and often answered single shots from Borralho with two, three and four of his own. Sensing he was swimming upstream, the Brazilian uncorked a series of sharp one-twos in the fifth round but could not push Imavov out of his comfort zone.
Meanwhile, ex-French paratrooper Benoit St. Denis dismissed Mauricio Ruffy with a face crank in the second round of their lightweight co-main event. Ruffy (12-2, 3-1 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 2:56 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in nearly six years.
St. Denis (15-3, 7-3 UFC) was the aggressor from the start, fed off the energy of a raucous crowd and never took his foot off the accelerator. He backed up the Fighting Nerds prospect with kicks, closed the distance behind punches and delivered multiple takedowns in the first round, achieving full mount on two occasions. Round 2 provided more of the same. St. Denis completed another takedown, moved to the back and secured position with a body triangle. He distracted Ruffy with punches, snuck his arms around the Brazilian’s head and slowly but surely tightened his squeeze. Eventually, the pressure proved too much to endure.
All 15 of St. Denis’ victories have resulted in finishes.
Not to be outshined, Gintas Combat export Modestas Bukauskas dispatched onetime British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig with a brutal last-second elbow strike in the first round of their light heavyweight showcase. Referee Marc Goddard took a brief look at the dazed-and-confused Craig (17-10-1, 9-10-1 UFC) after the bell sounded and waved it off.
Bukauskas (19-6, 7-4 UFC) chipped away with leg kicks and well-timed right hands, then capitalized on a major misstep from the Scottish Hit Squad star. Craig tried to jump guard while on the hunt for a potential triangle, only to lose his grip and wind up exposed underneath his opponent. Bukauskas unleashed punches and then elbows, one of which cut the “Bearjew” near his right eye and the last of which separated him from his senses.
Craig, 37, announced his intent to retire following his sixth loss in eight outings.
Elsewhere, former two-division Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Mason Jones rallied to dispatch Bolaji Oki with elbows in the second round of their lightweight feature. The resilient Jones (17-2, 3-2 UFC) slammed the door 3:18 into Round 2.
Oki (10-3, 2-2 UFC) almost finished the Welshman early in the first round, where he floored him twice with power punches and bludgeoned him with standing-to-ground hammerfists. Jones somehow withstood the assault, returned to his feet and sent the Valon Team rep careening across the cage with a multi-punch volley of his own. He then floated between side control and the north-south position before threatening with a kimura. They traded jabs to open the middle stanza, but Jones completed a takedown, advanced to full mount without much resistance and cut loose with a string of elbows to seal the deal.
Jones, 30, now finds himself on a six-fight winning streak.
Deeper into the draw, Boxing Squad prospect Axel Sola put away ex-Cage Warriors champion Rhys McKee with punches in the third round of their welterweight attraction. McKee (14-7-1, 1-5 UFC) met his end 2:02 into Round 3 and immediately protested the stoppage.
Sola (11-0-1, 1-0 UFC) picked his spots and carved up his counterpart with darting left hands, sharp jabs and occasional close-range elbows. Those efforts drew considerable blood from McKee’s nose and opened a pair of cuts—one under the left eye and another near the right eye. “Skeletor” made it ugly in spurts and enjoyed his share of success but could never turn the tide in his favor. Sola stayed the course, attacked at all levels and folded the Irishman with a mean left hook to the body. McKee dropped to all fours and absorbed a burst of unanswered punches, prompting referee Herb Dean to act.
The 27-year-old Sola has rattled off four straight victories, three of them finishes.
Finally, MMA Factory product William Gomis outstruck former KSW champion Robert Ruchala to a three-round unanimous decision in a competitive featherweight appetizer. All three cageside judges turned in scorecards for Gomis (15-3, 5-1 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Ruchala (11-2, 0-1 UFC) had issues with the Frenchman’s quick hands but managed to procure takedowns in each of the first two rounds. Gomis answered with wicked front kicks to the body, sharp right hands over the top, thudding knees in the clinch and a steady jab. However, sailing was not entirely smooth. Ruchala wobbled him with a head kick late in the third round but lacked the horsepower necessary to pursue the finish. Gomis secured two takedowns in the waning seconds, paired them with decent ground-and-pound and bled the remaining time off the clock.
Gomis, 28, has won 13 of his past 14 bouts.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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