The UFC returned to the Apex for a fight night this weekend headed by Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho. The Brazilian fighter made a statement win putting on a masterclass in striking and grappling on his way to a unanimous decision win. Borralho has since garnered a lot of praise from fans and pundits alike, including influencer Nina-Marie Daniele, who believe he could be the next big thing.
Cannonier is a veteran of the sport and has fought some of the very best at 185-pounds. So, he was a good litmus test for Borralho as he was the highest ranked fighter ‘The Natural’ had faced so far. Needless to say, the Brazilian passed with flying colors…
…so much so that, Nina Marie Daniele predicted a championship reign in his future.
“Caio is the future of the division! He has all the tools to become Champion one day!”
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The five round affair started with Borralho asserting his dominance from the very first round. ‘The Natural’ quickly established that he is the better striker of the two. He kept Cannonier on the outside in order to avoid his right hand. While doing that, the Brazilian picked him apart from the outside, landing a beautiful variety of shots and also leg kicks to slow down his target.
Cannonier looked frustrated from the outset as he was not able to find the target and swung wildly multiple times. Borralho is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but he did not even need to demonstrate his grappling skills as his hands were more than enough to get the job done.
The defining moment of the fight came in the fifth round when Borralho landed an inch-perfect left hand that dropped Cannonier to the floor. ‘Killa Gorilla’ managed to survive somehow and see the final bell.
But the decision was made.
What is next for Caio Borralho after his 14th straight win?
When they stepped into the ring, Borralho and Cannonier were ranked 12th and 5th respectively in the middleweight division. So as you can imagine this win is going to help ‘The Natural’ break into the top 10.
Of course, he then has to take on the likes of Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori and Jack Hermansson. Then there’s are the big dogs, the Robert Whittakers, the Israel Adesanyas. Borralho will probably have to fight most of these names before he can dream of UFC gold.
Of these elite fighters, Vettori is fresh off a loss against Cannonier therefore that fight does not make sense. Jack Hermansson could be an interesting fight for Borralho but there’s no heat there yet.
However, the stand out option here seems to be Paulo Costa. Although he is on a two-fight skid, Costa is always a dangerous man to face on his day. Also when it comes to fighting styles, Costa and Borralho are power punchers who have a high finishing rate.
If Borralho manages to get past Costa and with some style, he will be in the home stretch before he knows!
