Caio Borralho’s Tried-and-True Formula

Caio Borralho believes in preparing in the here and now. “I don’t like to waste my energy thinking too much about the future,” he told Sherdog.com. “I’m focused on the fight in front of me. I want to show the UFC that I’m a rising star and that I deserve to be seen as such.” No one can argue with the results thus far.

“The Natural” will look to climb another rung on the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight ladder when he toes the line against Paul Craig in a featured UFC 301 attraction this Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Borralho enters the Octagon unbeaten in his last 15 appearances and nearly nine years removed from his only professional defeat. He credits his sustained success to a variety of factors.

“I haven’t lost since 2015,” said Borralho, who represents The Fighting Nerds camp out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. “My career has been progressively getting better. I attribute that to persistence, discipline and knowledge. Another key is to work as a group. I have the support of a very large interdisciplinary team. We have doctors, physical therapists and trainers in all areas. We do pad work, physical conditioning and work with nutritionists. It all results in great performances on fight day. On fight days, I feel 100% focused and supported. I feel ever more confident and ready.”

A two-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Borralho has beaten Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, Armen Petrosyan, Makhmud Muradov, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Abusupiyan Magomedov in succession since he joined the UFC roster in 2022. His rear-naked choke submission of Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ESPN 45 was particularly satisfying, as it resulted in a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

“I finished a very tough guy,” Borralho said. “The bonus changed my life, no doubt. It allowed me to put a down payment into my home in Brazil. It left me more comfortable. My son was born a little after the bonus. Everything flowed in the best possible way.”

UFC matchmakers now up the ante with Craig. The Scottish submission specialist carries a 9-7-1 record across his 17 starts inside the Octagon. Victories over Brazilian icon Mauricio Rua and former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill anchor Craig’s resume, along with his stunning last-second triangle choke submission of Magomed Ankalaev in 2018.

“He has a great history,” Borralho said. “He’s fought great names in the UFC. He’s dangerous, especially when his back is on the mat. He has good moves and dangerous attacks on the ground. He’s a very motivated competitor. I have much respect for his fighting style. I’m happy to be booked against him since he’s above me in the rankings. By beating him, I can climb even higher and show everyone that I’ll soon be ready to fight for the title.

“For my entire camp, my mantra has been, ‘I’ll knock out Paul Craig,’” he added. “I’ll be going for a KO during the entire fight, and I’ll be keeping the fight on the feet. I plan to defend his takedown attempts, drown him in punches and win by technical knockout. After beating Craig, I’ll look to get into the Top 10, followed by the Top 5. This fight makes a lot of sense for my career.”

Increased stakes notwithstanding, Borralho plans to remain true to the approach that got him here.

“I face every fight as if it’s the last one, the toughest one,” he said. “Things have been working well. I’m quite happy with my ascension in the sport and in the UFC.”