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Five Caio Borralho Fights To Watch Before UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg
Recap The Rise Of Brazilian Middleweight Contender Caio Borralho Before He Takes On Paul Craig In Rio de Janeiro.
Fight fans better start taking notice of what Caio Borralho is doing.
The No. 14 ranked middleweight is 5-0 in the Octagon, and he’s slowly climbed his way up the 185-pound ladder. At this weekend’s UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg, “The Natural” will face battle-tested veteran Paul Craig to open up the PPV portion of the card.
The road to the rankings wasn’t an easy one for the Brazilian contender, as Borralho faced tough opponent after tough opponent. Those fights gave us glimpses of what the 31-year-old is capable of and have only made his bout with Craig more interesting.
Recap each of Borralho’s five UFC fights before he makes the walk in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.
Caio Borralho vs Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Muhammad 2 – April 16, 2022
Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
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Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
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Borralho’s UFC debut came after two stints on Dana White’s Contender Series and if not for an accidental illegal knee, it would have been a stellar introduction to the Sāo Paulo product.
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Slated in the co-main event for his debut, Borralho was busy and accurate against Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, and he showed plenty of prowess in the grappling department with a great sweep in the first round. Throughout the fight he was efficient, and it felt like he had Omargadzhiev on the ropes heading into the final round. A grappling exchange at the end of the fight ended with a knee from Borralho, which halted the action and caused the fight to be waved off.
The scorecards were 29-27 across the board for Borralho, who, aside from the bad knee, looked every bit a top middleweight prospect.
Caio Borralho vs Armen Petrosyan
UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs Fiziev – July 9, 2022
Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Armen Petrosyan
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Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Armen Petrosyan
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In the co-main slot once again, Borralho opened plenty of eyes with a dominant performance against Armen Petrosyan.
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Borralho utilized his grappling to neutralize the high-octane striking of Petrosyan, getting his foe to the canvas and working to his back multiple times throughout the bout. With two rounds in the bag, Borralho didn’t alter his gameplan and he worked in another takedown plus some clinch work to prevent Petrosyan from getting off any powerful strikes.
It wasn’t the most exciting win from Borralho but it was important to see how he would handle another prospect like Petrosyan, and it’s safe to say he passed the test.
Caio Borralho vs Makhmud Muradov
UFC 280 – October 22, 2022
Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Makhmud Muradov
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Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Makhmud Muradov
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Borralho’s rookie campaign was a busy one, and his third fight of the year came against Makhmud Muradov. He handled the step up in competition, getting an unanimous decision win over one of the division's finest.
While he wasn’t getting outclassed on the feet, Borralho’s grappling played a major role in handling Muradov.
MORE UFC 301: Get To Know The Challenger | Fight By Fight Preview
He attempted a handful of submission attempts throughout the fight, even if those attempts forced him to lose control of position. The judges rewarded Borralho for his consistent attempts at finishing the fight and his excellent round three.
With the win, Borralho extended his winning streak to ten in a row.
Caio Borralho vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simón – April 29, 2023
Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
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Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
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Three fight nights, three co-main events for Borralho. This time, the matchup came against light heavyweight knockout artist turned middleweight Michael Oleksiejczuk.
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Oleksiejczuk came out strong, stuffing multiple takedowns from Borralho. The Brazilian was able to get him to the ground late in the first round and that boosted his confidence going into the second round. Borralho picked up right where he left off, taking Oleksiejczuk to the canvas twice early. Borallho softened Oleksiejczuk up until he was able to secure a body triangle on Oleksiejczuk’s back, and after a little more work, he was able to catch Oleksiejczuk’s neck and get the tap.
It was a great first finish for Borralho, earning him his first Performance of the Night bonus and proving that he would continue to shine when given the spotlight.
Caio Borralho vs Abus Magomedov
UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis – November 4, 2023
Borralho’s fifth Octagon appearance came in his hometown of Sāo Paulo and against his most dangerous opponent to date yet – Abus Magomedov.
The first two rounds of the fight were a chess match, with neither fighter making a lasting impression on fight fans or the judges. The rounds were close and could have gone either way, although it felt like Borralho was slightly busier. But in the third, Borralho ran away with the fight.
He used his jab to hurt Magomedov and started to put it on him. He didn’t get the finish, but turning up the output in the final frame really pushed the entire fight his way and pushed him to 5-0 in the UFC and into the UFC middleweight rankings.
UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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