It’s not uncommon for UFC fighters in the same division to train together, even if there’s a possibility of them being matched up against each other later down the line.
That’s the situation that #6 ranked Caio Borralho found himself in when he traveled out to Sweden, and then back to Las Vegas, to train alongside an undefeated ‘Borz’.
For the popular Brazilian, being a ‘Fighting Nerd’ means that he’s always studying those around him; and it’s safe to say that Borralho learned plenty from training with Khamzat Chimaev.
Caio Borralho believes he holds ‘advantages’ over Khamzat Chimaev
During a recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Borralho stated that he’d be willing to face anyone in order to secure his shot at the UFC middleweight title – even if that means fighting his former training partner, Khamzat Chimaev.
“If they got me this fight, I definitely will [fight Chimaev], I think that would be a great fight,” teased the 17-1 Brazilian, before explaining why he holds an advantage over the undefeated Chimaev.
“I trained with him for like five weeks over in Sweden and then after in Las Vegas… So, I kind of know a little bit about his system, what he wants to do next, and what he wants the [other] guy to do next, so he can advance on his system.
“I think I have advantages because I studied a lot of this – I was paying attention [during training]. I was helping him for sure, but I was also paying attention to everything.”
As aptly noted by former champion TJ Dillashaw, Borralho is the face of the Fighting Nerds team, and “they pay attention” to all aspects of the training room, wherever they are.
“I was there to help him, I only had like two fights in the UFC at that time, now I have seven fights, so I was definitely there to help him, and I went to Las Vegas with him because I was mimicking Nate Diaz who he was supposed to fight.
“But for sure I learned a lot over there, so I know what he wants. I’m not saying that he’s an easy task because his wrestling is on another level… But I know that I have advantages from other guys to face him.”
As of March 2025, Borralho is ranked as the #6 best middleweight in the world – so what’s next for this stylish top contender?
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Caio Borralho wants his route to the title to go through ‘The Reaper’
Borralho has been steadily working his way through the UFC middleweight division, with two big wins in 2024 against Paul Craig (second-round TKO) and Jared Cannonier (unanimous decision).
“Right now, I’m trying to fight Robert Whittaker actually,” he stated later in the episode.
“Sean [Strickland] just lost and broke his nose – I think he’s going to be away for a few months – [Nassourdine] Imavov, I don’t think he will fight me because he wants to go for the belt… So, Robert Whittaker is the one, he’s coming off a loss and is ahead of me in the rankings.
“I heard that he wanted to fight in June so why not fight International Fight Week? I think it would be amazing for the fans and the UFC.”
International Fight Week is scheduled for June 25-29.