Caio Borralho Wants Shot at Former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya

Caio Borralho hasn’t backed down since his career-altering win over Jared Cannonier in August. After his dominant win, Borralho called out the current UFC middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, during his post-fight interview. But it doesn’t seem like that may be a realistic option.

While Borralho’s win over Cannonier caught everyone’s attention, he still stands at No. 5 in the rankings. Besides his natural charisma, one of the most appealing factors for Borralho is that he is a fresh face among the top five. Three of the four fighters above Borralho in the rankings — Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker — are all former champions.

Borralho proved against Cannonier that he is more than just a grappler. In addition to calling out du Plessis, he also challenged Adesanya. Adesanya was recently submitted for the first time in his career by du Plessis.

But Adesanya getting submitted, marking his third loss in four bouts, wasn’t enough to make the New Zealand resident consider retirement. Adesanya insisted he wasn’t ready to be done fighting. Having young fighters like Borralho step up and challenge him may be the shot in the arm the former champion needs to keep going.

Why Does Borralho Want Adesanya?

Borralho always talks about how his “Fighting Nerds” gym in Brazil always does its homework. Borralho did an interview with Submission Radio, and the best MMA news sites laid out how Borralho calculated the math. When looking at the top eight in the rankings, Borralho believes he is the only opponent who makes sense for Adesanya.

The other two fighters in the top eight who Adesanya hasn’t locked horns with, Brendan Allen and Nassourdine Imavov, are set to fight each other later this year. Adesanya has already fought Strickland, Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, du Plessis, and Cannonier. Borralho offers a fresh challenge for the former champion.

Is Adesanya on the Decline?

Adesanya looked into the camera after he got submitted at UFC 304 and let his fans know he isn’t done yet. But Adesanya has nothing left to prove in mixed martial arts. Adesanya had two reigns as middleweight champion and defended his belt five times.

Following his shocking loss to Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, Adesanya took more than a year off the sport. Adesanya felt he needed to refocus after taking a one-sided decision loss to Strickland, who was seen as a big underdog. Adesanya has lost three of his past four fights and hasn’t looked like the same fighter who once attempted to become a champion in multiple weight classes in the UFC.

Following the submission loss to DDP, Adesanya’s coach said he may look to come back and try to fight against another opponent in 2024. Adesanya, who had a long kickboxing career before joining the UFC, is 24-4 in the octagon with 24 wins.

Borralho Eager for New Challenges

The best path to victory for Borralho against Cannonier was to grapple. But Borralho didn’t shoot at the dangerous striker until the fifth round. Even when Borralho decided to grapple, it was a half-hearted shot just to make Cannonier think about it.

Borralho wanted everyone to know he was more than a grappler. While Cannonier hit Borralho with a few power strikes that tested his durability, Borralho was able to weather the storm and stay in the fight.

Late in the fifth round, Borralho knocked Cannonier to the canvas so viciously it should have been ruled a knockout. While Cannonier ultimately survived, Borralho made the point he set out to prove.

Before fighting Cannonier, Borralho had mostly fought other young talents or veteran fighters who weren’t considered threats to the belt. Cannonier formerly fought for the middleweight belt and so gives Borralho a real mark of pride on his resume.

Is Adesanya Healthy?

There is some uncertainty about whether or not Adesanya will be ready to fight soon. Not long after the loss to du Plessis, Adesanya’s long-time rival Alex Pereira speculated that Adesanya lost to DDP in part due to an injury. Pereira’s comments drew a response from Adesanya.

Adesanya pointed out that Pereira knows him well, but some people interpret that as him being injured. But when Adesanya saw that idea floated on social media, he shot that down, saying that he only commented that Pereira knew his style, not that he was hurt.

Adesanya isn’t typically known for taking long breaks from fighting. He was one of the UFC’s most active champions for years. If Adesanya still has a passion for fighting and can make the money work, he will likely be back in the cage sooner rather than later.

Borralho Makes Quick Rise Up UFC Ladder

Borralho has made the most of his short time in the UFC. Borralho wasn’t offered a contract after his first appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, even though he beat Aaron Jeffery by decision. Since Borralho earned the contract following a TKO win in October 2021, everyone in the UFC has been forced to be on their toes around him.

Borralho is now 7-0 on the main roster and is the de facto leader of a fun gym full of personable Brazilian fighters. What Borralho needs to do to cement his spot in the sport is to grab a few more marquee wins. Beating someone of Adesanya’s caliber would be a big boost for him.

Adesanya could use a win over an up-and-coming prospect to show that he is still the king of the mountain. A battle between the two sounds like a fight that could be fun. For MMA breaking news to show that the pair has chosen to fight, the UFC’s matchmakers will need to set up the fight in the right environment to keep everyone interested in making things happen.

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By Dean McHugh.