Caio Borralho believes he possesses the capabilities to take down Khamzat Chimaev.
‘Borz’ delivered one of the most commanding performances in UFC title fight history in Chicago, achieving a clear decision victory over Reinier de Ridder to become the promotion’s new undisputed middleweight world champion.
Since that victory, prospective challengers have been eager to step up, convinced they can decipher the puzzle and deliver Chimaev his inaugural defeat. Among them is Borralho, who expressed his readiness to abandon his scheduled bout at UFC Paris a month earlier if the UFC opts to set up a title fight for him in October.
“I have great respect for Khamzat,” Borralho mentioned to MMA Junkie. “He feels like a brother to me. But at this moment, at this stage of competition, it’s me against him, you know.
“If the UFC contacts me right now and says, ‘Forget about him. Get ready to face Khamzat in October,’ I’m prepared. If the UFC presents me this opportunity, I’ll accept immediately. We’ll see what unfolds. I’m not concerned about this guy. Let him wait.”
Caio Borralho Still Has to Face Middleweight’s No. 1 Contender if He Aims to Fight Chimaev
The fighter Borralho claims to not “care for” just happens to be the current top-ranked middleweight contender, Nassourdine Imavov. These two are set to battle in ‘The City of Light’ on September 6, with the victor likely positioned as Chimaev’s first challenger.
Naturally, if Chimaev opts for a swift return and fights in October when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi, either Borralho or Imavov might receive the opportunity. However, given that ‘Borz’ has averaged barely one fight per year lately, we wouldn’t place bets on that occurring.
