Number 7-ranked UFC Middleweight Caio Borralho revealed in an interview with stake.com that a win in his upcoming bout against number 2-ranked Nassourdine Imavov will not guarantee him a title shot against newly crowned champion Khamzat Chimaev. Borralho is currently on a 13-fight win streak dating back to 2015, most recently earning a decision victory over former title challenger Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier in August of last year. Imavov is coming off a TKO victory over former Middleweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya. The Middleweight division is more dense than any point in UFC history.
There is a bottleneck at the top of the division that is resulting in a bit of a tournament. With Imavov vs Borralho set for September 6th, and Number 6 ranked contender fighting number #4 Anthony “Fulffy” Hernandez vs Reinier De Ridder in October. Safe to say whoever has the most impressive prefomrance in winning effort will end up with the title shot.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 04: (R-L) Caio Borralho of Brazil punches Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“UFC wants to put some pressure on us” : Caio Borralho responds to title shot rumors
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 24: Caio Borralho of Brazil reacts after his victory against Jared Cannonier in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
When asked in a recent interview whether a win would guarantee him a title shot, Caio Borralho responded:
“No, they didn’t give me their word that this is 100% a title eliminator. They booked Fluffy vs. RDR, and we’ll have to see who emerges as the next contender. I think the UFC wants to put some pressure on us to deliver exciting performances. If I go out there and win a boring fight, while Fluffy puts on an incredible performance, then he might get the title shot. But I’m not worried about that, because my fight is already set to be entertaining—two strikers with knockout power going head-to-head. There’s no way it’ll be boring. I believe I’ll finish him in the third or fourth round, and if it’s an exciting fight, I’ll be next in line.”
“I’ve already served as a backup fighter and made weight. Then they offered me Imavov for International Fight Week, and I said yes. I also accepted fights against Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker. I believe the UFC will take all of that into consideration.”
With several high-stakes matchups on the horizon and a seemingly unstoppable champion in Khamzat Chimaev, the MMA world waits with bated breath to see who will emerge as the next challenger for UFC middleweight gold.
