Athletes
CAIO BORRALHO | REVENGE OF THE NERDS
Fighting Nerds Representative Discusses The Ascent Of His Team, Rise Through The Ranks Ahead Of First UFC Main Event
Over the last handful of years, the Fighting Nerds have emerged as an upstart band of ascending talents quickly working their way up the divisional ranks across the UFC, and from the very beginning, Caio Borralho has been at the vanguard.
The 31-year-old middleweight, who headlines this weekend opposite perennial contender and former title challenger Jared Cannonier, was the first of the Sao Paulo-based crew to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series, needing a pair of victories on Season 5 to convince the UFC brass that he had what it takes to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.
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Since then, Borralho has earned six straight wins inside the Octagon to climb to the 12th position in the middleweight rankings, while teammates like Bruna Brasil, Jean Silva, and Carlos Prates have followed in his footsteps to stand alongside of him on the UFC roster.
Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Paul Craig
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Full Fight | Caio Borralho vs Paul Craig
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“It means the world to me because we put everything into this team, me and Pablo (Sucupira), the head coach and owner,” said Borralho, who carries a 16-fight unbeaten streak into his clash with Cannonier this Saturday at the UFC APEX. “He’s been with me since Day One, always believed I could be a champion. We were always dreaming together, and we’re accomplishing little-by-little.”
Except it hasn’t been little-by-little as of late.
Last weekend at UFC 305, Prates earned his third win of the year by becoming the first person to stop Chinese veteran Li Jingliang with strikes, knocking him out cold and collecting a third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
Last month, Jean Silva rolled into Denver on short notice, up a weight class, and opened up such a gnarly cut over the eye of Drew Dober that the ringside physician was forced to stop the fight. It was his second win in three weeks and his third victory of the year, as well.
In addition to those two rookie sensations, Brasil posted a massive win over Molly McCann at UFC 304 in Manchester, and lightweight Mauricio Ruffy, whom Borralho calls the most gifted fighter he’s ever seen, dazzled in his debut at UFC 301 in May, registering a first-round technical knockout win over Australian lightweight veteran Jamie Mullarkey.
While there has been a smattering of losses over the last couple years, the team has largely been successful, and it’s reached a point where each instance of a Fighting Nerds representative stepping into the Octagon piques the interest of fans and media alike.
So what is it that makes this outfit so successful?
“The tape is the secret,” Borralho said with a laugh, referring to the white tape in the middle of the signature glasses often worn by victorious members of the team. “I think the biggest secret is that it’s a big team around everybody: coaches, physical therapists, nutritionists, strength and conditioning coach, and everybody working together as one.
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“I think the secret is that we’re all together and we’re all focusing on the results. Everything that happens outside doesn’t f****** matter if it’s not for a good result. A good result is to keep winning; that’s why people remember us in this sport because we keep winning.
“I’m really happy with all the recognition that the coaches are having, that the team is having, that the fighters are having,” he added. “We deserve that because we work a lot, man; we put a lot of our lives into this. In our gym, 90 percent of the guys are guys that left their families, too. There are a lot of guys dreaming, a lot of guys fulfilling their dreams.”
Borralho understands the weight of those types of sacrifices, as he too left home in search of something bigger and a chance to chase his competitive dreams.
Ten years after saying goodbye to his family and friends and departing for Sao Paulo, and less than three years removed from earning his UFC contract, the engaging emerging star is set to headline for the first time in his career, with the opportunity to ascend into the Top 10 and put himself in the thick of the title conversation in the ever-shifting 185-pound weight class hanging in the balance.
It’s a massive opportunity for Borralho; one that he doesn’t take lightly.
“We’re happy with the position, but for sure we feel we deserve the position we are,” said Borralho, who stopped Scotsman Paul Craig last time out at UFC 301 to earn his second Performance of the Night bonus and advance his record to 16-1 with one no contest overall. “I deserve the position that I am in right now, and I feel blessed to be facing the best guys in the world.
“Jared is one of the best guys in the world for this division — he entered the UFC in 2015; that was one year into my MMA career!” he continued, laughing at the vast discrepancy between he and Cannonier when it comes to the amount of time they’ve spent on the UFC roster. “Facing a guy at this level, having the chance to show my work against a guy on this level — having a chance to knock him out, submit him, or even do a very mature performance against him, I think this is something that a lot of people don’t get.
“I feel grateful, I feel blessed to be in this position,” he added. “I want to test myself against him. As I said in my last (post-fight) interview: he’s a scary dude, but I want to test myself against the scariest dude, because I’m the nerd and I’m gonna pay back all the bullying. It’s bully payback time, so I want the toughest, the scariest guys to prove the nerds have the power.”
After consecutive fights in his native Brazil, this weekend’s contest has Borralho back in Las Vegas, which has been a second home to him since his initial appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
When he failed to secure a contract following his unanimous decision win over Aaron Jeffrey on Week 5 of the fifth season, he opted to stick around, logging time at Xtreme Couture in order to be ready for his Week 8 clash with Jesse Murray. The city and its most established gym have been regular stops for Borralho ever since, and he’s quick to praise the collection of people there for contributing to his rise through the ranks.
“I’m really thankful to Xtreme Couture for having me. Before my debut against Gadzhi (Omargadhziev), I spent two weeks there getting my *** beat,” he recalled with a laugh. “I’m really grateful to all the guys there — the coaches there, Sean (Strickland), (Chris) Curtis — because they really embrace me as a teammate.
Caio Borralho's First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series Free Fight
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Caio Borralho's First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series Free Fight
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“They don’t do this for everyone outside of the gym. I went there with my coaches to do training, do sparring, and they embraced me as one of them.”
It’s likely he’ll be spending some time there in the not too distant future as well because should everything go according to plan this weekend against Cannonier, Borralho intends to keep himself in shape and ready to go, just in case the UFC needs his services.
“After beating Jared, I don’t know if I will be next in line, but one of the next,” began the ascending contender. “Anything can happen in this sport; somebody can get injured. If the chance comes, my name is definitely gonna be at the top (of the call list).
“After this fight, I’m gonna take one, two weeks’ vacation with my family, and then right back to work. I’ll be working for five rounds, and so when the UFC calls me, I’ll be ready.
“It’s not gonna be short-notice, I’m not going there unprepared because I wouldn’t forgive myself,” he added. “I’ll be ready. I’ll be ready all the time.”
If it sounds like Borralho is trying to speak this reality into existence, it’s because that’s exactly what he’s trying to do.
Ahead of his fight with Craig in May, the lead Nerd had a mantra for himself — “I’m gonna knock Paul Craig out” — and that is precisely what came to pass, and so he’s carrying on the tradition this time around, not only by speaking about how he wants the stars to align following this weekend’s events, but also what he plans to show everyone on Saturday.
“In this fight, my mantra is to show to everybody — the division, the UFC, the fans, myself — that the new champ has arrived.”
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Borralho took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 24, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!