The UFC middleweight division has chartered a rather chaotic course for the next few months, with the title set to be contested next weekend and seven of the Top 12 ranked fighters having their next bouts officially booked.
One of those key scheduled clashes is the upcoming UFC Fight Night main event between veteran Jared Cannonier and surging contender Caio Borralho, with the Brazilian fan-favorite breaking down how the division will shape up as he hunts his own title shot.
UFC contender Caio Borralho predicts the winner of UFC 305 title fight
Don’t let the #12 ranking next for Caio Borralho’s name fool you, the eccentric Brazilian has made a fantastic splash so far going 6-0 in the UFC, and could very well be just one big win away from a title shot.
But who will be holding that middleweight title by the time that the ‘Fighting Nerds’ captain makes his way to the pinnacle of the 185lb division remains to be seen, with champion Dricus Du Plessis set to defend the belt against former king Israel Adesanya this weekend in Perth.
Speaking to Kevin Iole via his official YouTube channel, Borralho was asked about who he thinks will emerge victorious from the UFC 305 main event: with ‘The Natural’ siding with the New Zealander to reclaim his title… For now.
“I think this time, I think Israel Adesanya is going to win this fight. I think stylistically, the two styles don’t match – doesn’t match at all.
“I think Dricus just goes forward trying to punch and push the pace up, but I think Israel Adesanya is going to manage the distance all the time, circle up and kick a lot on Dricus.”
Borralho can see the fight ending in one of two ways, either via the judges’ scorecards or via a mid-fight finish for Stylebender: “I think he can win by decision or maybe a good knockout in the third round if Dricus gets tired too.”
Should Adesanya indeed recapture former glory in Perth, it’ll be just one week before Borralho himself steps back into the octagon and it’s safe to say that the 16-1 middleweight is plotting his path to the UFC 305 winner.
“I think the UFC is still testing me… Now they want to see a little bit more, they want to see me against a Top 5 guy, [to see] if this kid really has champion potential so they’re going to see, they’re going to see that the new champion has arrived – that’s my mantra.”
Caio Borralho is preparing for his own main event fight vs Cannonier
After making his way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, Caio Borralho has gone from strength to strength, having already beaten the likes of Michal Oleksiejczuk, Abus Magomedov, and in his last outing, Paul Craig.
Given that the middleweight is already 6-0 in the promotion, Borralho knows that a dominant victory over Cannonier, especially one that ends in another viral finish, could be his ticket to jumping the queue and securing a title shot.
“Any way I beat him, I think people are going to note me as one of the next contenders for sure because I’m going to be assuming the top five spot. But I know how a finish in my fight will put me as the next contender.
“If I go there and finish him in a dominant fashion, or dominate him for five rounds in a good, that’ll definitely put me as the next contender… I’m the new face of the division.
“Everybody’s full on seeing the same faces in this division so I’m the new one, I’m the champion who has just arrived. I just need to show everybody.”
Caio Borralho vs Jared Cannonier is the main event of UFC Vegas 96, scheduled for August 24 at The Apex in Las Vegas.