Caio Borralho, after his dominant UFC Vegas 96 win over Jared Cannonier, expressed his anticipation for a title shot while acknowledging the upcoming rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title, and emphasized his readiness to continue fighting top contenders as he aims to prove himself among MMA’s elite.
Caio Borralho may have called out Dricus du Plessis following his UFC Vegas 96 win. But he expects the UFC middleweight title to change hands before he gets his shot at the belt.
“I got [Sean] Strickland winning this fight, maybe, because I think Strickland won the last one,” Borralho said at the post-fight press conference. “But maybe he left a little bit inside the octagon that he could do a little bit more.”
“But MMA is crazy. I always bet against Dricus and he always wins, so I’m not betting on the next one.
Du Plessis and Strickland are expected to meet in a rematch for the UFC middleweight title next. This follows du Plessis’ successful title defense over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
They previously met in January at UFC 293. Du Plessis stole away Strickland’s belt with a razor-thin split decision win.
Borralho, 31, has great interest in the outcome of that rematch. Especially after his victory over Jared Cannonier on Saturday night.
Borralho pushed his undefeated UFC record to 7-0 at UFC Vegas 96. He put together the finest performance of his octagon career in his first UFC main event.
Despite being known largely as a grappler, Borralho outstruck Cannonier in an all-standup affair. He nearly knocked out the one-time title challenger with a thunderous salvo of punches in the fifth round.
The judges scored the bout unanimously in his favor (49-45, 49-45, 48-46). Borralho left the UFC APEX proud of the statement he made to the division.
“I wasn’t there to grapple. I was there to bring fire and be comfortable in the danger, because Jared’s a very dangerous opponent,” Borralho said.
“My jab was on point, my calf kicks were on point, and I just did the job. I almost got the finish.”
He added, “I think the ref should have stopped the fight [in the fifth round] because Jared was [hurt] very bad, but it is what it is.”
“I’m very thankful to be there [for] 25 minutes with one of the best in the world. And tell me one guy that did that to Jared. Tell me. There’s no one that did that to Jared the way I did it.”
An integral member of Brazil’s fast-rising Fighting Nerds team, Borralho overcame a nasty cut below his right eye at UFC Vegas 96. He gutted out a win in the final rounds.
Post-fight, he said he hopes to be compared to MMA legends like Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones. He aims to be considered “one of the most intelligent guys that ever stepped into the octagon.”
After gradually working his way up since debuting with back-to-back appearances on Contender Series in 2021, Borralho believes he’s finally proving himself. He and his team belong alongside MMA’s elite.
“I think [this win] takes me to one of the best in the world,” Borralho said. “Like, I’m top five right now.”
“At least, I deserve a top-five spot on Tuesday. And I think I proved myself as one of the best in the division — that I can strike.”
“That I cannot only grapple; I can strike. I have grappling, wrestling, durability, chin, power.”
“I think I showed everyone that tonight, and it’s just going to take me to my belt.” He continued: “The mantra of this training camp was to show the new champ arrived.”
“If I’m not the next one [to fight for the title], at least when there’s a conversation about who’s next, my name is going to be around there.”
That being said, Borralho also made it clear he’s not interested in slowing down. After racking up seven wins over his first 28 months under UFC contract, he’s eager for more challenges.
“I want a title shot, that’s for sure,” Borralho said. “But I’m a company man.”
“Whoever Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] send me to fight… if they’re people above me or something like that… like the fight that I deserve… I’ll take it.”
“Because I’m a company man.”