Caio Borralho has thrown his name into the UFC’s middleweight title conversation after a victory over Jared Cannonier in the main event of a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 25 August 2024.
Borralho and Cannonier put on a thrilling five-round match that saw momentum switch between the fighters several times, before the Brazilian finally seized the key opportunity in the final round, dropping his opponent with a punch and almost securing a submission. Though Borralho didn't get the finish, it was ultimately enough to take the fight 49-45 49-45 48-46 on the judges’ score cards.
CAIO BORRALHO DROPS JARED CANNONIER BAD IN THE FIFTH! 😬😬😳😳😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥#MMA #UFC #UFCVegas96 pic.twitter.com/9BAfI1mB6f
— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) August 25, 2024
"I'm the new face, even with some scratches," Borralho said during his post-fight interview. "Everyone who sees these glasses should be afraid.”
He went on to call out division champion Dricus Du Plessis, who defended his title for the first time last weekend with a win over Israel Adesanya.
“You know who I want next. I've called you out two times already. You've already beat Sean [Strickland]. You've already beat Adesanya. You already beat all these guys. So Dricus du Plessis, get your ass over here or in South Africa. I'm coming for you, boy!”
In the rest of the main card results, Tabatha Ricci defeated Angela Hill via unanimous decision in a women’s strawweight bout; Ryan Loder stopped Robert Valentin in the second round of their middleweight clash; Mairon Santos did the same to Kaan Ofili in the featherweight division; Michael Morales claimed a first round TKO of fellow welterweight Neil Magny; and Gerald Meerschaert submitted Edmen Shahbazyan in the second round of their middleweight opener.
The UFC continues next weekend with a Fight Night at the APEX Facility, headlined by a welterweight clash between Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns.
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho – Fight card results
Main event: Middleweight: Caio Borralho def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-45 49-45 48-46), R5, 5:00
Women’s Strawweight: Tabatha Ricci def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
Middleweight: Ryan Loder def. Robert Valentin via TKO (elbows), R2, 1:49
Featherweight: Mairon Santos def. Kaan Ofili via KO (punch), R2, 1:30
Welterweight: Michael Morales def. Neil Magny via TKO (punches), R1, 4:39
Middleweight: Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via submission (triangle choke), R2, 4:12