Caio Borralho has revealed that he signed on the dotted line for a massive fight at UFC 330 next month, but an injury ultimately shelved those plans.
I spoke with Borralho (18-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) on the red carpet at the 17th Annual World MMA Awards in Las Vegas during International Fight Week, where we discussed the current landscape of the middleweight division in the wake of Sean Strickland's recent title victory over Khamzat Chimaev.
“It’s exciting,” the Brazilian told me. “The division is moving right now, you know? I was supposed to fight Joe Pyfer on August 15th at UFC 330, but I hurt my ribs and needed to have the surgery. I'm still recovering…I have four more weeks to recover and then I go back to training.”
After enjoying a blistering start to his UFC career — winning seven straight fights between 2022 and 2025 — "The Natural" tasted defeat inside the Octagon for the first time when he was outpointed by Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris last September.
Having returned to the win column with a victory over Reinier de Ridder in March, the Brazilian is hoping to squeeze in one more fight before the end of the year, and he has a clear idea of who he wants to face next.
“I want to fight in October,” Borralho said, “maximum in November, and I think, if not Joe Pyfer, if they're not going to hold him down because (UFC 330 is in) his hometown in Philly – I think he's going to fight there – I want to fight the winner of Kamaru (Usman) and Dricus (Du Plessis), because I've wanted Dricus for so long, and I think it's a great fight to do, and I think if he wins this one, it's a great fight for me and him to go to the title contender.”
With Du Plessis having since gone on to beat Usman in the main event at UFC Oklahoma City this past weekend, it seems the stars are aligning for a potential title eliminator between the pair to take place before the end of 2026.
