Summary
Borralho at a UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Caio Borralho breathed a sigh of relief after dominating Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326 and returning to the win column in the middleweight category (up to 83,9 kg). Despite the triumph, the Natural doesn't seem interested in enjoying the fruits of his labor and already has a new target in sight: Dricus Du Plessis . Despite the apparent disinterest on the part of the South African, the Brazilian said that the Ultimate doesn't seem to oppose the idea. He spoke about the subject during an interview with the North American website 'MMA Fighting' this Friday (20).
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According to the fighter, his fast and hard-to-hit fighting style would mesh well with the unorthodox style of the former champion, who hasn't stepped into the octagon since his defeat to Khamzat Chimaev last August.
“He hasn’t fought in a while and said he might fight in June or July. I think it’s the perfect fight. If I beat a former champion of Dricus’ caliber, I’ll be very close to fighting for the belt. I want the knockout. I’m really enjoying the striking now. I want to exchange punches and knock him out. He’s very difficult to knock out, he has an incredible chin, but I think he has some gaps in his defense that can be exploited, especially with my boxing style. I’m going for the knockout,” he stated.
Caio Borralho defeats Reinier de Ridder by unanimous decision
(30-27 x3) #UFC326 pic.twitter.com/o6SZcuUdeX
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 8, 2026
Caio Borralho is recovering from a rib injury.
Caio Borralho promotes UFC event. Photo: Press release/Facebook/UFC
Despite his desire to return to the octagon as soon as possible, the Ultimate matchmakers preferred to give the fighter from Maranhão more time to recover not only from the fight against De Ridder, but mainly from a rib injury suffered during training to face the Dutchman.
“They don’t want me to fight injured, they really want me to get better first and then they can start talking about it. But they really liked my performance and said I’m back in the fight. I was locked in a guillotine choke and defending myself when, suddenly, I heard a huge crack. I thought, ‘Damn, I broke a rib.’ The cartilage shifted. It was crazy,” he recalled.
Jean Silva , Caio Borralho , Mauricio Ruffy , and Carlos Prates represent Fighting Nerds. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
According to him, the injury affected the final part of his training camp . Because of this, he said he was happy with his performance against RDR, even though he couldn't finish the fight. He won by unanimous decision after 15 minutes of fighting. All the judges scored all three rounds in his favor.
“My training period was perfect, but the last two weeks were a real nightmare because of my ribs. Considering the condition I was in, I'm very satisfied (with the performance). I fought to finish the fight the whole time, staying strong on top so as not to succumb to the pain, because it hurt too much to breathe and everything else. But, in the end, everything worked out,” he stated.
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Read More about: Caio Borralho, Dricus Du Plessis, Average weight
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