Nakamura had won the Asian-based Road to UFC competition in early 2023 then added two more octagonal wins before encountering Gafurov, who evened his UFC mark at 2-2.

All three judges saw it for Borjas, two with 30-27 scores and the third by 29-28, to give him his first UFC win after a Contender Series defeat and two more losses in official octagonal bouts.