One top UFC middleweight contender is raring for a shot at Dricus du Plessis.
All eyes at 185 pounds will be on the UFC 319 pay-per-view in August, where Du Plessis is set to put his title on the line against a man widely expected to serve as his toughest challenger to date, the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.
While Chimaev’s crushing submission against Robert Whittaker in 2024 has left many predicting his title crowning in Chicago, Du Plessis is no stranger to proving his detractors wrong and is confident of doing so once again on August 16.
Should the South African succeed in that aim, one of those vying for the next shot at gold believes he knows how to do what no man has been able to thus far.
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Caio Borralho breaks down his path to victory against Dricus du Plessis
Caio Borralho is backing Du Plessis to remain on the middleweight throne at UFC 319. And after getting past his own next hurdle, the No. 6-ranked contender wants his own shot at ‘Stillknocks’.
During a recent interview with MMA TODAY, ‘The Natural’ previewed his potential fight with Du Plessis down the line, explaining why he is confident of doing what Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland could not against the South African.
“With Dricus, I think people do a lot of mistakes with him because people don’t control the distance and don’t go for the lighter shots,” Borralho said.
“People try to kill him all the time and put all their strength and power in the punches, then people get tired. He gets tired, too, but he can work when he is tired.
“I would go more with jabs, distance control, trying to hurt with kicks his arms a little bit more,” Borralho continued. “I would circle a lot in the Octagon and then I will find the right time that he just opens up himself when he stretches to punch and he walks forward doing two or three punches.
“I would find this opening to do a counter-punch or something like that and catch him when he is not waiting. That is what I see. I can see me knocking him out but I can (also) see it going for five rounds of pure war.”
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Caio Borralho will cut weight twice in three weeks to serve as UFC 319 backup
When it comes to his desire to square off against UFC 319’s main event winner next, Borralho has a couple of upcoming opportunities to boost his claim.
First, Borralho will be the UFC 319 backup in case either Du Plessis or Chimaev are forced to withdraw on late notice. And just weeks after cutting the pounds for that assignment in Chicago, the Brazilian will hit the scale again in France.
Borralho is set to headline UFC Paris against another contender whose winning form has put him in the title shot hat, Nassourdine Imavov. The Frenchman increased his hopes of a championship opportunity at UFC Saudi Arabia this past February, where Imavov knocked out Adesanya.
Both men will need a strong performance in victory at Accor Arena on September 6 to ensure they stay ahead of another rising name in title contention, after Reinier de Ridder beat Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi this past weekend.