EXCLUSIVE! Caio Borralho reveals the dangers of De Ridder and explains how he intends to defeat his rival at UFC 326.

Caio Borralho, as a good student of the game, did his homework before facing off. Reinier DeRidder and claims to be ready for the test in UFC 326, scheduled for this Saturday (7). The representative of the Fighting Nerds team faces the Dutch giant in the co-main event, which has Charles of the Bronx In the main event. According to the Brazilian's analysis, the rival's unusual style is precisely one of the points that demands the most attention before stepping into the octagon in search of a knockout.

In an exclusive interview to SUPER FIGHTSBorralho explained that De Ridder's unusual striking movements often lead his opponents into dangerous mistakes. According to the fighter from Maranhão, fighters with good striking skills end up becoming overly comfortable when they perceive the Dutchman's apparent lack of technique on his feet. However, it is precisely in this moment of relaxation that the former ONE champion manages to close the distance, clinch with his opponent, and impose his grappling game.

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“It’s precisely this awkwardness of his stand-up game that makes opponents who are good on their feet, which is my case as well, feel a little comfortable, and that allows De Ridder to apply his game. You think, ‘it’s going to be easy.’ And then, at the moment you relax, that’s when he clinches you, when he makes his game happen, and then you have to go through a whole storm to get back to a neutral situation again. So that’s one of the main dangers he presents; he’s a very good ground fighter, but I also come from grappling, I’m a natural grappler, so I’m quite comfortable with that,” he said. Caio Borralho.

The Brazilian also revealed what the key strategy will be to secure the victory. According to him, the fight demands constant urgency, focusing on defending takedowns, avoiding the clinch, and seeking the knockout. Borralho further explained that he will need to make technical adjustments in his striking, especially in the use of the jab. According to the athlete, the punch tends to work better to the head against right-handed fighters, but against southpaws it tends to be more efficient at the waistline, requiring adaptations during the fight. In addition, he emphasized that movement and positioning will be fundamental to neutralizing takedown attempts.

“This is a fight where the secret is not to lose urgency, defend the takedowns, get away from him and knock him out, that’s my plan. Jabs against right-handed fighters work better to the head, but against left-handed fighters they work better to the stomach, so it’s more of a jab adaptation that I’ll have to make. The movement aspect is very important, the takedown defenses have to be on point, but I think that much more important than the defense is the positioning to defend them,” explained the fighter from Maranhão.

Another point observed by the Fighting Nerds fighter is the way De Ridder creates opportunities to take down his opponents. According to Caio, the Dutchman usually closes in precisely to induce his opponent to throw very strong and long punches. When this happens, the rival ends up stretching too much and opens up space for De Ridder to dive under his arms and achieve the takedown.

“One of the things he makes the guys do in the fight so he can go for the takedown well is to make them stretch during the strikes. He positions himself close to you so you throw a really strong punch, you stretch, and he goes under your arms. So that's something I have to pay close attention to so I don't overstretch during the strikes, always being well-positioned, with my center of gravity well-controlled, so I can then work on my takedown defenses effectively,” the nerd highlighted.

Caio Borralho bets on an intense pace to wear down De Ridder at UFC 326.

Finally, the Brazilian revealed that he intends to impose an intense pace from the first minutes. According to him, the strategy is to raise his opponent's heart rate and exploit any potential difficulty in the Dutchman's physical recovery. Confident in his preparation, Caio Borralho He believes he can maintain his own pace while forcing De Ridder, who It has a bad reputation regarding its resilience., fighting more reactively than strategically throughout the combat.

“I want to keep the pace of this fight very intense, get his heart rate way up. We know that his recovery from those heart rates to come down is very slow and not very efficient, so this is something I already do intermittently in all my fights. I know I'm well prepared, well trained to get my heart rate back to normal in a short interval. I'm definitely going to push him as hard as possible to make him much more reactive than responsive,” he concluded. Caio Borralho.

Caio Borralho is a big favorite against Reinier De Ridder at UFC 326.

Borralho celebrates victory in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

In search of rediscovering their winning form, Reinier DeRidder action resumes in UFC 326, scheduled for March 7th, against Caio Borralho'Nerd' appears to be the favorite among bettors for the match in UFC 326. According to the Stake The Brazilian has odds of 1,38, which represents a return of R$ 13,80 for every R$ 10 wagered. The Dutchman, on the other hand, is the underdog, with odds of 3,05, equivalent to a return of R$ 30,5 for every R$ 10 invested in his victory.

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UFC 326 fight schedule

MAIN CARD (from 23pm)

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Max Holloway x Charles of the Bronx – Fight for the belt

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Caio Borralho x Reinier DeRidder

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Rob font x Raúl Rosas Jr.

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Drew dober x Michael Johnson

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): gregory rodrigues x Brunno Ferreira

PRELIMINARY CARD (from 19pm)

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): cody garbrandt x Xiao Long

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Donte Johnson x Dusko Todorovic

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Ricky Turcios Alberto Montes

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): cody durden x Nyamjargal Tumendemberel

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Sumudaerji x Jesus Aguilar

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Joosang Yoo x Gaston Bolanos

Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Luke Fernandez x Rodolfo Bellato