Caio Borralho is staying ready ahead of UFC 319 this weekend.
Despite being scheduled to face Nassourdine Imavov in the main event at UFC Paris on September 6, Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has agreed to weigh in as the backup fighter for the UFC 319 middleweight title bout between Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), set to take place in Chicago this Saturday.
Imavov was originally slated to serve as the alternate but opted to focus entirely on his training camp for the Borralho fight, prompting the UFC to reach out to the Brazilian to fill the role instead.
Given the promotion’s urgency in securing a backup, “The Natural” is wondering if there may be doubts about the availability of either Du Plessis or Chimaev heading into this weekend’s blockbuster event.
“They didn’t say who could get hurt, if it’s Khamzat or Dricus, or what the issue was,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “But I’m suspicious because they said earlier there would be no backup and out of nowhere got one. There’s something going on potentially, but I don’t know what that is.”
“If we go by the logic, Chimaev has the better chance of pulling out because he’s done that a few times before,” he added. “We know he trains like crazy so he always gets hurt. But I heard recently that he’s doing great, he’s healthy and has no serious injuries. I don’t know how Dricus is doing. He hasn’t posted much on social media.
“The thing that concerns me about Chimaev is regarding his weight. I saw a picture, and he looks freaking huge, man. We know he sometimes has a hard time making weight. Let’s see, man. I’m keeping my hands up until I leave the hotel for the arena. Until then, I’m 100 percent locked in on this fight.”
