Summary
Caio Borralho is satisfied with the attitude adopted by Reinier De Ridder before UFC 326, scheduled for this Saturday (7). The Brazilian faces the Dutch giant in the co-main event and believes that his rival's promise to present his best version in the octagon can make an eventual victory even more valuable.
Recently, Reinier De Ridder stated that he wants to leave behind his reputation as a 'quitter' and extend the fight to prove his physical condition, something that, in the view of the Fighting Nerds fighter, could directly influence the dynamics of the confrontation.
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In an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS, Caio Borralho stated that he wants to face the best possible version of his opponent, as he believes this would make a victory even more valuable. According to the Brazilian, facing De Ridder at his physical and technical peak would make the result even more significant.
“Hopefully. I want the best possible De Ridder to fight me, so I think that will make my victory even more valuable. At the end of the fight, when my hand is raised, I (will know) that I really faced a guy who was in his best form, in his best shape, with his best stamina,” said Caio Borralho.
At the same time, Caio Borralho believes that the Dutchman's need to prove something to the public may end up taking some of the focus away from the victory itself. In Caio Borralho 's view , exploiting this psychological aspect could be a useful strategy during the fight, since the more the opponent thinks about demonstrating something, the less focused he would be on simply winning the fight.
“But that also makes him lose a bit of focus on winning the fight and focus much more on wanting to prove something, so that’s something I’ll be putting in his head all the time… To keep that in his head, and the more he thinks about it, the less he thinks about the victory itself, so that’s something that will help me a lot there too,” concluded Nerd.
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 physical recovery difficulties the Dutchman may have. Confident in his preparation, Caio Borralho believes he will be able to maintain his own pace while forcing De Ridder, who has a bad reputation regarding stamina , to fight more reactively than strategically throughout the fight.
“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 bring them 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 time. I'm definitely going to push him as hard as possible to make him much more reactive than responsive,” concluded Caio Borralho.
Reinier De Ridder surprises with physical improvement ahead of UFC 326.
Heavily criticized regarding his physical condition due to his mid-round withdrawal in the fight against Allen, the Dutchman caught the attention of fans this week by posing for promotional photos for the event. Visibly more muscular compared to previous fights, RDR seems to have emphasized this aspect during his preparation.
Reinier De Ridder showed off his physique pic.twitter.com/9VA9qwfFk9
— José Louis (@concatenarsim) March 5, 2026
Caio Borralho is a big favorite against Reinier De Ridder at UFC 326.
Borralho celebrates victory in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Looking to rediscover his form, Reinier De Ridder returns to action at UFC 326, scheduled for March 7th, against Caio Borralho . 'The Nerd' is the favorite among bettors for the UFC 326 fight. According to Stake , the Brazilian has odds of 1,38, representing 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)
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira – Title fight
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Caio Borralho x Reinier De Ridder
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Drew Dober vs. Michael Johnson
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Gregory Rodrigues x Brunno Ferreira
PRELIMINARY CARD (from 19pm)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Cody Garbrandt vs. Xiao Long
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Donte Johnson vs. Dusko Todorovic
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Ricky Turcios x 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 vs. Rodolfo Bellato
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