Currently unranked at middleweight, Caio Borralho has his sights set on top contender Dricus Du Plessis. Borralho who holds a 15-1 record recently faced Russian standout Abusupiyan Magomedov who has a record of 25-6. The face-off took place in front of home fans as UFC returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil after four years. Borralho, also known as “The Natural”, showcased extreme composure, taking his opponent to deep waters and bagging an emphatic decision. Although he just narrowly missing out on the finish, Borralho’s win means he is now on the second-longest win streak in the promotion’s middleweight division. He is trailing only his next target, Du Plessis.
During his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Borralho addressed Du Plessis directly saying, “Dricus Du Plessis, you cannot run from me anymore.” He continued by laying claim to his next victory, stating, “I just won against a guy that lost to the champion. So now I want your head and after that, I’m coming to get my belt.” With his recent win, it is likely that Borralho will break into the UFC middleweight rankings.
However, this is not the first time Borralho has signaled his interest in Du Plessis. He had his sights set on the fighter, even when Du Plessis was unranked in July 2022. Following his triumph against Armen Petrosyan at UFC on ESPN 39, Borralho again called out Du Plessis. During the post-fight press conference, Borralho laid out his drive for the callout, “It’s a funny story actually, he had a previous fight against Marcus “Maluko” [Perez] and the fight was almost off, and I told my manager to put me in. He tried it, but they got Du Plessis to fight, and he did what he needed to do. I don’t have anything against that guy, but I know that I can beat him, and he is in the rankings right now, and I want him.”