Featured at UFC Vegas 51, Caio Borralho analyzes his debut and guarantees: 'To beat me, it's going to be difficult'

The efficient, and full of tension, debut of Caio Borralho in Ultimate is a reason for excitement on the part of the Brazilian fans. Executioner of Gadzhi Omargadzhiev in UFC Las Vegas 51, the Maranhão native spoke exclusively to SUPER FIGHTS after his convincing victory against the Russian. The athlete is now part of the company's list of promises in the middleweight category (up to 83,9kg).

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Caio's debut, which should have taken place in January 2022, came with a dominant performance against Gadzhi. Despite an illegal knee in the last round, the Brazilian was declared the winner by technical decision.

Premiere analysis

“It was a very good performance for a debut. I had a lot of energy. (…) Technically, I did everything as I had to. In some moments, it could have defined the fight. Apart from the knee at the end, it was an almost perfect fight. I didn't take any risks. I took a few hits, but they were all well blocked. I failed in all areas, both standing up and on the ground, in takedowns. That was my objective: to send a message to the division. For those who didn't know me yet, I have a level of jiu-jitsu, grapple, wrestling. To find a way to beat me, it will be a little difficult”, he guaranteed.

Controversial knee

After practically two rounds of control against Gadhzi, Borralho was close to seeing his victory 'slip through his fingers'. Towards the end of the fight, the Brazilian landed a knee considered illegal, and experienced moments of tension before knowing what the outcome of the fight would be, as his opponent was unable to continue the fight. Caio then explained the action and talked about the moment that preceded the official announcement.

“From the angle I was at, I saw that his hand was off (the ground). If you look in slow motion, he is in the process of starting to get up. In other words, his weight is not entirely in his hand. The supporting hand was the left one, which was on the side of the railing, and was with the fingertips. I thought he was getting up and, halfway there, I caught him with my knee. It was further along than it was supposed to be. There was a little lack of attention, but I really didn't see it. (…) There was no point in doing that (something illegal), after dominating three rounds, accidentally throwing a knee. (…) I was afraid of being disqualified. (…) I was saying to myself: 'I can't believe that, after a performance like that, I'm going to be disqualified, with one minute to go'. I did not believe. I apologized to the fans, to the guy. (…) It wasn’t intentional, but I was pretty nervous,” he admitted.

Next step

With a convincing performance, Borralho is already eyeing the next step in the company. The athlete, who will need to treat some injuries, intends to return to the octagon as soon as possible and has a name to challenge.

“I just didn’t challenge a name because I wanted to respect the moment. It would look bad for me to ask for a name after having won with an illegal knee. The main name is BryanBattle, who is a guy who has two wins in a row. He has only one defeat, he was TUF champion (The Ultimate Fighter 29). I wanted to do the 'Contender Champion vs. Contender Champion' promotion. TUF'. He's a good guy to fight. His style matches my style of play a lot. Probably, this week, my manager will talk to the 'matchmakers' (responsible for negotiating the confrontations) to see what they think. In any case, I’m open to whatever the UFC offers me,” he concluded.

Athlete's history

At 29, Caio Borralho reached the mark of 13 appearances as a professional in MMA. In the sport since 2014, the Brazilian today has 11 wins, one defeat and one 'I didn't answer'.