Caio Borralho and the arrival of the Fighting Nerds
A new era is currently underway in the UFC’s middleweight division. With Dricus Du Plessis cementing his title reign with a win over Israel Adesanya, it seems the new guard is finally surpassing the old. Looking to take part in that passing is Brazil’s Caio Borralho. Currently 6-0 in the UFC, “The Natural” takes on long-time contender Jared Cannonier in hopes to skyrocket up the rankings.
Caio Borralho: The new generation?
As mentioned, Caio Borralho is looking to go from prospect to certified contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. Once dominated by names like Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya, new names are making their way onto the scene. In addition to Borralho, others like Khamzat Chimaev, Nassourdine Imavov, and Anthony Hernandez are making their own statements in the division.
To be the new you must beat the old, however. Chimaev is fighting Whittaker. Hernandez is taking on Michel Pereira. Borralho has already beat Paul Craig, but a win over Cannonier would be even better.
Cannonier is tough but Borralho has been astounding in his six fight UFC run. Undefeated and possessing a 16-1 record overall, Borralho is nearly a complete stranger to losing.
The arrival of the fighting nerds
Fighting out of São Paulo, Brazil, Caio Borralho is part of The Fighting Nerds. Other names out of that gym include Carlos Prates, who just beat Jingliang Li at UFC 305, Jean Silva, and Mauricio Ruffy. The gym has made a name for itself in recent years with all of these Brazilian prospects.
The return of a high quality Brazilian gym is a welcome one in the UFC. Silva is making huge waves with knockouts of Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober. Borralho, however, may be the most experienced when it comes to fights in the UFC.
After beating Aaron Jeffery on the Contender Series, Borralho worked hard to get higher level matchups and to make a splash quickly. After trying to book Dustin Stoltzfus and Jamie Pickett, Borralho had to settle for Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. From there, he was aiming for the top.
Running to the top
Borralho had to make his way to the rankings quickly. Now 31, he made his debut at 29. Time is not on his side. After beating Omargadzhiev, Borralho took decision wins over Armen Petrosyan and Makhmud Muradov. A step up was called for.
Michal Oleksiejczuk is not the best fighter in the world but compared to Petrosyan and Muradov, it’s a higher bar. When stepping up, Caio Borralho shined. He ended up choking out Oleksiejczuk in round two. He returned and took on Abus Magomedov, who just fought Sean Strickland. That was another win.
And again, Paul Craig, the former light heavyweight contender turned middleweight. Craig was 1-1 at 185, beating Andre Muniz and losing to Brendan Allen. A win over him would do wonders for Borralho. Lo and behold, a left cross put Craig down.
Now, Caio Borralho, who is ranked 12th, is taking on a top five fighter in Jared Cannonier. A win will leap frog him over names like Roman Dolidze, Jack Hermansson and Paulo Costa. He will have a quality win over an opponent who just dropped a fight to Nassourdine Imavov.
Knocking off one former contender puts Caio Borralho right where he wants to be: within earshot of the new champion Dricus Du Plessis.
