Not Just a Grappler: Caio Borralho Excels With Striking to Pick Up Career-Altering Win

Caio Borralho had a nasty cut underneath his left eye when he leaned on the cage. But instead of focusing on the searing pain he had to be feeling, he had some words for the UFC announce team Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Borralho wanted everyone to know that he wasn’t just a grappler.

During a fight with former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier, Borralho, a member of the “Fighting Nerds” gym in Brazil, proved that he could do a lot more. He didn’t attempt a takedown until the fifth round. Instead, Borralho focused on firing out a lot of powerful strikes.

In the final two minutes of the fight, Borralho likely should have earned a knockout. MMAfighting latest news shows that Borralho dropped Cannonier with a punch that sent him falling backward toward the mat. Borralho landed ground-and-pound and attempted an arm triangle but couldn’t secure the finish.

Borralho said after the fight that he was ready for what Cannonier had to offer.

“I saw it all coming,” Borralho said. “We anticipated everything that he has ever done. That’s why we are the Fighting Nerds. We calculate, we study, and when the test comes, we take A+.”

Borralho would like his next test to be for a belt, but he will likely need a win or two more to crack a deep group of contenders at middleweight.

Baby Shark Survives a Tough Challenge

When Tabatha Ricci can’t successfully employ her grappling, all of her fights are going to be sweaty on the scorecards. Ricci is improving with her striking but is still open to being countered. While fighting a durable 39-year-old veteran in Angela Hill, Ricci found it hard to land the takedown.

Instead, Ricci waded forward and worked on delivering power punches. While Hill did effectively counter in the second and third rounds, Ricci was landing punches with more impact. There was an argument that could have been made that Hill won the fight, but Ricci earned a unanimous decision.

Ricci is now 6-2 in the UFC and has two wins in 2024 over veteran strikers. Proving her toughness should allow Ricci to have more opportunities moving forward.

Loder Claims TUF Middleweight Crown

Ryan Loder thought he broke Robert Valentin’s arm in the first round of their fight for the middleweight crown for this season of The Ultimate Fighter. But Valentin refused to tap out. When Valentin worked his way free, MMA news sites reported that he nearly forced Loder to quit.

Valentin was able to get on Loder’s back and nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke in the first round. But Loder, who wasn’t defending properly at first, choosing to punch Valentin rather than fight the hands of the choke, found a way to survive. In the second round, Loder was able to lean on his wrestling experience to take control.

Loder got on top of Valentin and trapped his arm to put him in a crucifix position. Following a long series of elbows, Loder secured the TKO win and the TUF Crown.

Santos Earns Contract in Spectacular Fashion

Mairon Santos’ knockout of Kaan Ofli had Michael Bisping comparing his striking ability to Anderson Silva. But Santos, who won the TUF featherweight crown by knocking out Kaan Ofli in the second round, was disappointed the stoppage win didn’t earn him any bonus money, according to MMA breaking news. Santos hit Ofli with a hook in the second round, which stopped Ofli in his tracks.

Ofli fell to his knees, frozen by the impact. Santos then followed up with several shots to the side of the head before the referee could arrive to break things up. It was an impressive debut performance for Santos.

Morales Bursts Through the Gate

Neil Magny has been lauded throughout his career as being a gatekeeper to the top of the welterweight division. There have been more than a few prospects who couldn’t handle Magny’s pace and durability. But Michael Morales showed that his power is special.

With less than two minutes left in the first round, Morales surprised Magny with a spinning elbow. Magny went right down to the canvas, and Morales quickly bounced. He was able to work his way to the mount quickly and secure a stoppage late in the first round.

Meerschaert Sets UFC Record

Gerald Meerschaert set a new UFC record for most finishes in the middleweight division with 12. Meerschaert’s submission win over Edmen Shahbazyan was an amazing comeback victory. But there is a real question of whether Meerschaert should have had the opportunity to secure the win.

Shahbazyan dropped Meerschaert early in the second round. When Meerschaert hit the mat, Shahbazyan connected on 40 unanswered ground strikes. With Meerschaert covering up, the fight could have been stopped by the referee. But when Mark Smith chose not to stop the fight, Shahbazyan found himself in trouble. He had emptied the tank, trying to finish the fight. Instead, he had to continue, and Meerschaert did what he does best.

Wang Cong Shows Off Her Striking Chops

Chinese women’s flyweight prospect Wang Cong showed off her immense self-confidence following her first-round knockout win against Victoria Leonardo. It’s hard to say that she didn’t deserve to take a victory lap.

Wang picked up the second-fastest knockout in the division’s history when she flattened Leonardo in 62 seconds. Following the fight, she called out the UFC for putting her on the preliminary card and wanted to be on the main card for UFC Macau later this year. It’s hard to say that she doesn’t deserve the honor with how well she fought Saturday.

Here are the results of the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above:

• Lightweight, Francis Marshall win by split decision over Dennis Buzukja, 30-27 and 29-28 (Marshall), 29-28 (Buzukja)
• Middleweight, Zachary Reese win by decision over Jose Daniel Medina, 30-27 (x3)
• Lightweight, Viacheslav Borshchev win by split decision over James Llontop, 30-27 and 29-28 (Borshchev), 29-28 (Llontop)
• Women’s bantamweight, Jacqueline Cavalcanti win by split decision ove Josiane Nunes, 29-28×2 (Cavalcanti), 30-27 (Nunes)

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.