This is the UFC 326 live blog for Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder, the middleweight co-main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This is a matchup of top 10 fighters at 185 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with Borralho at No. 9 and de Ridder at No. 8.
Borralho (17-2, 1 NC) recently suffered his first UFC loss at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov, a setback that also snapped a 16-fight win streak. The Fighting Nerds star was on the cusp of a title shot and likely would have moved to the front of the line with an impressive performance against Imavov, now he battles to stay in the middleweight contender mix.
The same is true for de Ridder (21-3), who suffered a double whammy of misfortune at UFC Vancouver. After losing original opponent Anthony Hernandez, another top contender, de Ridder was upset by replacement Brendan Allen, further muddying up the 185-pound rankings and leaving de Ridder in limbo. The former ONE two-division champion was one of the hottest fighters of 2025 before stumbling against Allen, and can immediately regain that momentum with a win Saturday.
Check out the UFC 326 live blog for Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder below.
It’s still so weird that the middleweight division hasn’t really moved since Khamzat won the belt. And all the contenders have fought! Nassourdine Imavov should have got his title shot by now, Sean Strickland is also in the mix, and I’m not sure where Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder go after this.
Ah, well. Just win, baby!
Odds are surprisingly wide here with Borralho the favorite at -230 and de Ridder the underdog at +190, per FanDuel. Guess that stinker against Brendan Allen really poisoned the well.
Herb Dean oversees the co-main event.
Borralho with the hands low, opens with a spinning body kick. He lands a good outside leg kick, he’s looking to chop de Ridder down. Jab and then a sloppy takedown attempt from de Ridder that Borralho easily dodges. Borralho smacks de Ridder with a left, but they clash and Borralho catches a knee below the belt. Complete accident as both men were throwing nearly identical strikes. Pause in the action.
They resume with de Ridder coming forward and throwing punches. Borralho backs him up with a counter. Loud outside leg kick from Borralho. Clean left hand from Borralho, de Ridder returning fire. These two are throwing to finish. De Ridder connects with a couple of wild swings. Jab by de Ridder, but Borralho hits him with a hard counter for his troubles. Clubbing left from Borralho.
Lots action in this one, barely a second of breath before strikes are thrown. De Ridder drops for a takedown and gets it, Borralho immediately scrambling to stand. De Ridder wants the back take, Borralho working against the fence to stand up. Stalemate against the cage and Dean is warning Borralho not to grab the fence. Late takedown by de Ridder, not much damage off of it.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Borralho.
Borralho is throwing with power and it’s working. De Ridder sticking with the jab but he needs to follow up with harder strikes. Borralho landing clean punches up top. Takedown attempt from de Ridder, earlier in this round, let’s see how this changes the complexion of the fight. Lots of inconsequential grappling against the fence but hey, if you’re de Ridder, you’re not getting hit right now. Two minutes left in the round.
They’re off the fence. Borralho goes to the body, de Ridder counters with punches. De Ridder is landing, but Borralho doesn’t look like he’s feeling the effects of these shots. Still, de Ridder definitely making him uncomfortable. They end the round in the clinch. Close one. Did Borralho’s early work give him this round?
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, de Ridder. Overall, 19-19.
Both men just throwing to start the round. They have to know this fight could be up for grabs. Quick right from Borralho. De Ridder slips and Borralho pushes him down, can’t capitalize. Hard knee to the body by de Ridder and Borralho takes him down. Let’s see how “RDR” deals with this dynamic.
Borralho aggressively looks to pass and he’s in de Ridder’s half guard. Peppering ground-and-pound from Borralho as de Ridder uses his legs to combat the position. He rolls to his knees and he’s up soon after. Two minutes left and Borralho is likely ahead.
De Ridder headhunting. He wants the finish. Left hand scores for de Ridder. Borralho kicks his leg. De Ridder with a clean 1-2 combination. He’s winning this round if he keeps it up. Borralho rips the body. De Ridder answers with a jab. Another slip by de Ridder, his stance is so loose sometimes. Borralho back to the body. He lands a big right. Last 10 seconds could determine the winner of a razor-close fight. Glancing high kick from de Ridder. That was kind of anticlimactic.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Borralho. Overall, 29-28 Borralho.
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