Athletes
Caio Borralho: ‘We’ll Blow The Roof Off’
Brazil’s Caio Borralho Faces Abus Magomedov At UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis in São Paulo
For the first time in his UFC career, Dana White Contender Series grad Caio Borralho will compete inside the Octagon in his home country of Brazil at UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis.
The UFC returns to Brazil for the second time in 2023, and its main card will feature one of the hottest prospects to come out of DWCS. Borralho competed twice on the show in 2021, picking up back-to-back victories in less than a month to earn a UFC contract.
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The 14-1 (1 NC) middleweight has won four straight fights since signing with the promotion, collecting victories over Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, Armen Petrosyan, Makhmud Muradov and Michał Oleksiejczuk. Borralho can extend his unbeaten streak to 15 this Saturday against Abus Magomedov in Sau Paulo, where he lives and trains year-round with his team at Fighting Nerds.
“I think the word ‘happiness’ basically sums it up,” Borralho said of fighting in his home country. “I'm very happy to fight at home, feel the energy of the Brazilian crowd and especially to be fighting in a big arena. I’ve had five fights at the APEX and one in Abu Dhabi, but the crowd wasn’t on my side. This time I’m finally fighting in a big arena with the crowd on my side, so I’m just really happy. I’m very happy to have my whole team here. My nutritionist, doctors, everybody is here with me. So, I'm very happy to be able to represent not only Brazil, but also my team, especially here in Sao Paulo.”
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“The fight itself is the same thing. Once the door closes, it’s just the two of us, just like in any other fight. But, of course, I'm excited. I said that this might be one of the most exciting days of my life, to feel the energy of the crowd and everybody cheering my name. So, the only thing that changes is the walkout, feeling that whole energy. When my song plays, everyone will be cheering and jumping and we’ll blow the roof off that arena. But when the Octagon door closes, it’s me against [Magomedov], and he'll feel my power.”
Caio Borralho's First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series Free Fight
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Caio Borralho's First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series Free Fight
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Borralho’s upcoming opponent, Magomedov, most recently suffered defeat in July against newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Magomedov steps in on four weeks’ notice to replace Nursulton Ruziboev, who pulled out of the matchup in early October. Since Borralho doesn’t see too many differences between the two fighters, his gameplan remained relatively unchanged throughout his training camp, despite the sudden change of opponent.
“No, nothing’s really changed,” Borralho said of his gameplan for a short-notice opponent. “We’ve changed a few tactical things. They’re both long and dangerous guys that have a good offensive game. We were already preparing for a very good guy and now we just got another really good guy.”
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When previewing his matchup with Magomedov, Borralho referenced Magomedov’s fight with Strickland, hinting that Saturday night’s contest may look awfully similar. In that fight, Strickland had to weather an initial onslaught of body kicks and powerful, diverse striking. Shortly into the second round, however, Magomedov appeared to be fading quickly, allowing Strickland to step on the gas and put Magomedov away inside 10 minutes.
“I think my strength is my gas tank,” Borralho said. “I'll be putting pressure all the time. He's already proved he gets tired. He’s already proved he doesn’t like going to deep waters, and that’s where I’ll take him. I think his strength is his front kicks. He's very long and he puts a lot of power in his shots. I think that will make me a bit more alert than usual, especially at the beginning of the fight, and then later I can start imposing my game.”
“I think the main thing is to be relaxed on the feet, attentive, focused, but relaxed, letting him spend a lot of energy and letting him throw shots charged with emotions, just the way he likes it,” Borralho said. “And the main thing will be not to reciprocate that emotion, act at the right time, get him tired, and knock him out or submit him.”
UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis took place live from Ibirapuera Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on November 4, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
