RIO DE JANEIRO — Caio Borralho went back to the winning column with a victory over Reinier de Ridder earlier this month at UFC 326 in Las Vegas and is now targeting a mid-year return to the octagon against Dricus Du Plessis.
Borralho voiced his interest in facing Du Plessis in the aftermath of UFC 326, calling out the former UFC middleweight champion, but said the promotion requested him to take some time off first to properly heal an injured rib.
“They don’t want me fighting injured, they really want me to get better first and then start talking about it,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “But they really liked my performance and said I’m back in the mix.”
Borralho felt pressured after losing his first UFC bout to Nassourdine Imavov in France, one in which he dealt with many issues going into the cage. Borralho said he once again had to overcome a medical problem, but never considered pulling out of the co-main event bout.
“Man, it was something unthinkable,” Borralho said of his pre-UFC 326 injury. “I was caught in a guillotine and was defending it, and suddenly we heard a huge pop. I thought, ‘Damn, I broke my rib.’ The cartilage got displaced. It was crazy.”
“My camp was perfect, but the last two weeks were a crazy nightmare with my ribs,” he continued. “Considering the condition I was in, I’m very satisfied [with my performance]. I was hunting for the finish the whole time, holding strong on top so I wouldn’t give in to the pain because it was hurting like hell to breathe and everything. But in the end, everything worked out.”
Du Plessis has yet to book his return to the cage for his first appearance since losing the UFC belt in a decision to Khamzat Chimaev in August of 2025, which snapped a perfect 9-0 run in the promotion with three title victories over Israel Adesanya and twice against Sean Strickland.
“He hasn’t fought in a while and said he might fight in June or July,” Borralho said. “I think it’s the perfect fight. If I beat a former champion of Dricus’ caliber, I’m right there on the doorstep for the belt.”
Du Plessis hasn’t been finished in nearly eight years, back when he lost the KSW welterweight title in a rematch with Roberto Soldic in London, but Borralho trusts his striking skills enough to predict a stoppage if they eventually meet next. The Fighting Nerd middleweight has five knockouts in 18 pro MMA wins, one in the UFC against Paul Craig.
“I want the knockout,” Borralho said. “I’m really enjoying the stand-up now. I want to trade punches and knock him out. He’s a very hard guy to knock out, he’s got an incredible chin, but I think he has some defensive openings that can be exploited, especially with my boxing style. I’m going for the knockout.”
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