Athletes
Caio Borralho | Refocused And Ready To Shine
Fighting Nerds Standout Fired Up To Face Reinier De Ridder In UFC 326 Co-Main Event
When a fighter has enjoyed an extended run of success, how they respond in the wake of a setback is a fascinating point of interest for fans and observers, often feeling like a portal into the future.
Based on his energy, it seems that Caio Borralho has used his first loss in a decade as a moment to reset as he looks to start fresh winning streak this weekend when he steps in against Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event of UFC 326.
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“The energy is always high, and this time it’s higher than ever,” he said with a smile. “I’m definitely excited to be on this card — it’s a big card; live on Paramount+ and CBS and at T-Mobile (Arena)… I’ve fought already six times here in Vegas, but only (at the Meta) APEX. I love going to the APEX — I like the environment and everything — but I’m always dreaming of fighting at T-Mobile. I’ve been there for so many events, attending and seeing my friends fight and I thought, ‘One day I will fight here.’
“God gave me this spot, co-main event… I’m excited and the energy is higher than ever.”
Saturday night’s clash with de Ridder marks his first appearance since Nassourdine Imavov ended his 7-fight Octagon winning streak in Paris.
Positioned as a possible title eliminator, the clash between the elite middleweight contenders turned into a one-way affair, with Imavov dominating the action throughout and earning a clean sweep of the scorecards. Like most athletes, Borralho was initially frustrated by the defeat, but time has provided him with the perspective to recognize that his preparation and demeanor heading into the contest wasn’t the best.
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A handful of days out from his return, things feel markedly different.
“Today, I think that I was needing that,” he said of the loss to Imavov. “I was at the bottom, dealing with some personal things, lack of motivation; the training camp was a nightmare. It wasn’t the energy I needed to go fight.
“I got time to get everything together, know myself a little bit more (since then). I dug deep and came up like phoenix after (that loss). Right now, I feel more present, more excited, more motivated, happier, and I just can’t wait to be there on Saturday.”
A huge part of what has contributed to that jolt of energy and refocusing — at least from a professional standpoint — is the opportunity to share the Octagon with the eighth-ranked de Ridder, who had a similar end to his 2025 campaign last October.
After racing out of the gates with four wins in roughly nine months to begin his UFC tenure, the 35-year-old Dutch standout sought a fifth win in 12 months when he signed on to face Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in the main event of the promotion’s return to Vancouver. Hernandez was replaced by Brendan Allen, but de Ridder’s mission did not. Unfortunately for the veteran contender, he ran out of steam in the fourth round and never made it off the stool for the fifth, ending his run of success.
Now, like Borralho, he’s looking to start another winning streak this weekend at UFC 326, and Borralho couldn’t be happier to share the cage with him.
Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder Preview | UFC 326
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Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder Preview | UFC 326
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“I love this fight; I think it’s a great matchup for me,” he said. “My manager came to me and said, ‘They want you to fight Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326’ and I was like, ‘F*** yeah! Let’s go!’ I think it’s a great matchup… He’s a grappler, I’m a grappler too — that’s where I came from — but I developed my striking in the past three or four fights. People can see how complete I am, and I think I have this advantage on him. I can strike way better than him ad my grappling is as good as his. I think it’s a great matchup for me, it’s a great matchup for the fans. I hope he doesn’t come and just try to grab me all the time; let’s make this fight exciting for the fans.
“I know what he’s gonna try to do, and my job is to defend that and put my game on it.”
RELATED: Co-Main Event Spotlight
With the division in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment, the seventh-ranked Brazilian believes a dominant showing on Saturday could propel him right back into the thick of the chase in the 185-pound weight class.
“It sets me up to a title conversation again,” Borralho said. “For sure, after a great performance on Saturday, people are gonna be talking about my name when they talk about the title.
Caio Borralho Fight Week Interview | UFC 326
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Caio Borralho Fight Week Interview | UFC 326
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“I’m not sure if just this fight is gonna be enough — maybe I need to do one more — but it just depends on my performance and getting back into the title conversation again. If the stars align perfectly in the division, I can be the next one. But I’m definitely one to work, and if I need to do one more, let’s f***ing do it.”
The analytically-minded middleweight believes he knows exactly how he’s going to earn the kind of win that catapults him straight back into the title conversation.
“I’m gonna KO him — that’s the result I’m expecting, that’s the result I am seeing, and that’s what I’ve trained for,” Borralho said. “I think the smartest way to win is to KO him. I did the same prediction, told (people) the same when I fought Paul Craig because I thought it was the smartest way to win. It’s not my ego talking. It’s the smartest way to win and I fight smart.
“Right now, I’m more aggressive, my striking is better, and I’m very confident with my grappling too that I can be more offensive to make him tired and uncomfortable in the positions that he used to be comfortable in.
“The result is a KO — I’m going there to KO him,” he added. “If he can take it, that’s okay, but I’m going to finish him and KO him.”
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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