Caio Borralho Exclusive UFC 326 Interview

We recently caught up with UFC middleweight contender and Stake Ambassador, Caio Borralho, as he prepares for his main event bout against Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326.

Borralho will headline the event, live from Las Vegas, on Saturday 7th March.

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How has training camp been for you?

Training camp has been amazing. In my last training camp I had a lot of problems, I was sick. Physically and mentally there were a lot of things going on, but now I feel I am doing a proper training camp similar to the ones I did in my first seven fights I won in the UFC. I have been in a good mood and spirit. I have been good with myself, motivated and happy and I can't wait to give my best and perform. I feel when I train like this and connect with my team, I am unbeatable. I am ready to show my skills to the world.

This is the first time you will be coming off a loss. Does this change things?

Coming off a loss doesn't change the way I train at all. I always train hard. After I win and focus on the next fight, that win is in the past. This way I don't get comfortable and I can still train hard as this is a new fight. It is the same way when I lose. I lost to Nassourdine Imamov, but that loss doesn't exist to me anymore. I need to focus on Reiner De Ridder and prepare myself properly. That's my mindset when it comes to fighting.

What went wrong against Nassourdine Imamov?

To be honest with you, against Nassourdine Imamov I was only 50%. I couldn't read the fight well. I didn't study the way I should have. I had 2 weight cuts in 3 weeks. I was focusing on Imamov and then all of a sudden I am the back up for the Middleweight title fight and my focus shifted to two more guys. I had a lot of problems within my body. I took a month worth of antibiotics as I was ill during the lead up to the fight. In the fight, I was feeling ready and I fought five rounds with one of the best strikers in the world. The fight was decided by small adjustments he made and props to him. My ability to read the fight wasn't there. This is one of my best traits I have - to set the plan and execute and I just couldn't do it. I paid the price.

How did you score the fight?

I had great moments during the fight but I couldn't capitalise on the great moments. I was 13 months without fighting. That had a big impact on my performance and at the highest level it can change a lot. In these 13 months, Imamov had about 3 fights. This made a lot of difference in the fight. In the fight I think it was 2-2 coming into the 5th round - I didn't do enough in the 5th round as I should have. I didn't pressure him and push the pace enough. Ultimately I think it was 3-2 Imamov. However, there was a judge that gave him all 5 rounds which was ridiculous.

Would a win over De Ridder give you a title shot over Chimaev?

I think Khamzat Chimaev only has one more fight at Middleweight before he makes the eventual move to light heavyweight. I think if I fight for the title, I don't think it will be against Khamzat. I think with a great knockout over De Ridder and a great performance, it will put me back into the conversation of a title fight. The middleweight division is really stacked right now. We have the likes of Brendan Allen, the former champion Dricus Du Plessis, we have Sean Strickland, we have Imamov. With a knockout on March 7th, it would help my case. However, we have to see how the stars align at Middleweight.

What was your assessment of Reiner De Ridder's performance against Brendan Allen?

De Ridder did well against Brendan Allen in the first two rounds. His grappling was good and he was dominating. But one thing I saw was that he wasn't comfortable in those positions. I already fought Brendan Allen in Karate Combat where I dominated him for 2 rounds. One thing I know for sure is that he knows how to defend himself properly. There were a lot of positions that I would normally finish a lot of people in, but I couldn't do that with Allen. This may have made De Ridder upset and frustrated. Fighting a lot of times in a year and being uncomfortable in a place that he normally feels comfortable. After he got tired, Brendan Allen was able to capitalize and make him quit.

Does this give you confidence going into your fight?

100%. This is a sport of feeling. You feel the guy that you train or fight. I felt I was a better grappler than Brendan Allen. I felt that Allen was the same level as De Ridder. When he was defending, De Ridder couldn't do much. When Allen went on the offensive, De Ridder didn't have options. This makes me confident in my fight. Grappling is my go to. I came to MMA being a grappler. I started Judo when I was 6 years old, I started Jiu-Jitsu 16-17 years and I have been a black belt since 2021. I dominated a world sambo champion twice and dominated within the UFC. I just have to be offensive with my grappling against De Ridder and he will have no comeback.

Sean Strickland vs Fluffy Hernandez. Thoughts?

I think it was a good fight, It was fluffy getting frustrated a little bit because he couldn't wrestle Strickland. I don't think a lot of people know how good Strickland's takedown defence is. They don't know how hard it is to maintain him on the ground. He is very strong in the grappling zone. He just doesn't use it. In the striking department, Anthony Hernandez needs someone that hits hard. He uses this to see a guy getting tired and then goes for the kill. That gives Fluffy confidence to do his game. He couldn't wrestle, he couldn't go harder when he needed to, and when he tried he got caught with a knee. I didn't expect Sean to KO Fluffy like that. I often do predictions for Stake, and I did predict Sean would win the fight. Maybe it was because I train with him all the time.

Do you see yourself fighting any of these guys in the future?

Any of these guys can be on my radar at any time. Dricus, Brendan, Sean and maybe Fluffy I could fight at some point. Fluffy may need to get back to the win column in order to be in line again. To be honest I wouldn't want to fight Sean because we have sparred so many rounds in the past and he is a really good friend of mine. However if the UFC said 'you need to fight Sean, and whoever wins gets to fight for the belt,' or if Strickland becomes champion again and I have to fight for the belt - there is no way I am saying no! I think Dricus Du Plessis and Brendan Allen are the two most likely on the radar.

What happened between Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy? Is this the end of the fighting nerds?

I don't think it's the end of the Fighting Nerds. We are still a team. Both Jean and Mauricio are a part of the team. They had a personal disagreement that I didn't want to put myself into because they are both good friends of mine. I acted when I both saw them going back and forth with each other and it was starting to affect the team. I had to tell them both that they had to sort themselves out. They need to figure it out because the team cannot suffer because of what you guys are going through. They might not train and talk together but they are still going to be in the group. Our Head Coach has sorted out everything and the team will remain intact. All of us are having great comeback victories. Jean after losing to Diego Lopes, came back against Arnold Allen. Ruffy also came back against Fiziev, Carlos Prates after losing to Ian Garry has two knockout victories in a row now. It's left with me now to comeback after being undefeated for 10 years and then losing to Imamov, I now have to comeback against De Ridder and nothing is going to stop the Fighting Nerds’ comeback. The team needs to be united and the team needs to fight as one.

Does being the captain give you a lot of pressure in these situations? How did it affect you?

As of now, I am very confident. I am proud of the team and where we are now in the midst of our comeback season. It's actually funny because I was the first one to get signed to the UFC and now I'm the last one to get the win after a defeat. It's just the tip of the Iceberg and I just need to go out there and do my job and the comeback season will be well underway. Sooner or later, we will all have our belts and be on top of the world. The team is doing well - fulfilling their dreams and making money. We are just going to continue the path, and that is to be the most dominant team in UFC history.

Israel Adesanya is also making a comeback, is that a fight you also see on the horizon?

Israel Adesanya is definitely someone I would like to fight - if he beats Joe Pyfer. I have a lot of respect for Izzy. He is one of the greatest of all time in the middleweight division. He is also a nice guy, I always have respect for him. Every time we see each other, we talk, we laugh, we party and he even said to me one day we will fight for the belt. I looked up to him when I was growing up in the sport. It is honourable when a fan fights his idol. I think it's going to be a great fight if we ever meet. If he wins against Pyfer and I dominate De Ridder, it's a good fight to make.

The main event will be between Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway. Who wins?

Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira will be a very tight fight. However, 155 is Charles' division. He is more used to the division and he has the knockout power. We already know Max Holloway's style. He likes to touch, he likes to box and I don't think he is a knockout artist. He doesn't have the power to knock out Charles. Charles will move forward all the time, do a lot of front kicks, 1-2s, knees and grappling. The only way Max wins is if takes control of the fight at his own pace and dominates for five rounds. I don't think this will happen to Charles. Charles has more power than Max Holloway in the lightweight division and will get the finish.

How do you feel a fight between you and Khamzat Chimaev will go?

Khamzat Chimaev will take me down in the first round, but I do know his system. I trained with him years ago and I was able to understand him. What he wants to do, what he wants you to do for him to be able to make his next move. It's just about thinking about the steps, making him frustrated. In the 2nd and 3rd round, defending the takedowns and making it hard for him. Then I will start to pick up the pace and win the fight by points. It will be hard to knock him out, he has a good chin. He's hard to submit. I will defend myself in the first round, be strategic in the second and win the fight in 3rd, 4th and 5th. It would be a lie to say I'll knock him out in the first round. Fighters like to talk but I need to be very strategic, very specific and very intelligent to win a fight against Khamzat. We are speaking about one of the best in the world, he's the champion.

Would you like to feature on the UFC White House Card?

I would love to fight on the White House card. This will be the biggest event in sports history - not just in combat sports. I would love to be a part of it. With a great knockout against De Ridder and it could put me there. The fights I would like to see are: Cyril Gane vs Pereira, Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje, that will be a great fight. Right now, we have just seen the rumour that Conor McGregor might fight Carlos Prates. I don't know if it is true or not - I just sent Carlos a message, but no response just yet. I can imagine the press conference and the build up to this fight. These are two guys that love to drink Whisky, Prates can drink Proper 12 and say ''Naa it's not good.'' It will be great for the sport. I would 100% be a part of this card.

Alex Pereira may have the opportunity to fight for the UFC heavyweight championship of the world against Gane/Jones. Do you back your fellow brazilian to become the first 3 weight world champion?

I 100% back Alex Pereira to become the first 3 weight world champion in the UFC. I don't think it will be against Jon Jones due to his problem with arthritis. He might not fight again and doesn't need to fight as he has done a lot for the sport already. It will probably be against Gane and I back him 100%. This is a man that debuted in 2022 and he has already become a double champ and has beaten a lot of former champions just using his striking. To be the first 3 weight world champion would put him in a gold status with the UFC.

Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano. Who wins?

I was surprised when I saw this fight. I thought Ronda Rousey would never fight again. She's already a legend, she has made good money and she has done so much for female fighters. I am excited to see her coming back, she was so dominant and inspired a lot of young fighters in the sport. Gina Carano was also a legend too. She was also very good at grappling. But in this world Ronda is the best and she will dominate Gina.