Caio Borralho Interview: Game Plan for De Ridder, Oliveira vs Holloway Prediction & Pereira Heavyweight AmbitionsCaio Borralho Interview: Game Plan for De Ridder, Oliveira vs Holloway Prediction & Pereira Heavyweight Ambitions | UFC 326

Brazilian middleweight contender Caio Borralho is confident, calculated, and ready to make a statement at UFC 326.

Speaking exclusively to Stake ahead of his co-main event clash with Reinier de Ridder, Borralho broke down his blueprint for victory, reflected honestly on what went wrong in his last outing against Nassourdine Imavov, and shared bold predictions for the blockbuster main event between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

He also weighed in on the possibility of Alex Pereira chasing history as a potential three-division UFC world champion.

Borralho’s Key to Victory Against Reinier de Ridder

Borralho understands the magnitude of the matchup. De Ridder, known for his grappling credentials and submission game, presents a unique stylistic challenge. But Borralho believes discipline and tactical control will be the difference.

According to Borralho, the key lies in neutralizing De Ridder’s strongest weapons while dictating the pace of the fight. By blending sharp striking with calculated defensive grappling, he plans to keep the contest in areas where he feels most dominant.

Rather than chasing a finish recklessly, Borralho emphasized composure, patience, and executing a structured game plan over five high-stakes rounds.

What Went Wrong Against Nassourdine Imavov

Looking back at his fight with Nassourdine Imavov, Borralho didn’t shy away from accountability.

He admitted that small tactical errors and momentary lapses in execution made the difference on fight night. At the elite level of the UFC’s middleweight division, even minor mistakes can shift momentum permanently.

Borralho views that loss as a necessary lesson — one that sharpened his preparation, tightened his strategy, and fueled his motivation heading into UFC 326.

Oliveira vs Holloway for the BMF Belt: Borralho’s Prediction

The main event of UFC 326 sees Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira collide for the coveted BMF title.

Borralho is backing his fellow Brazilian.

He believes Oliveira’s submission threat, aggression, and ability to capitalize in scrambles will ultimately overwhelm Holloway. While Holloway’s volume striking and durability are well-documented, Borralho sees Oliveira’s finishing instincts as the decisive factor in what promises to be an explosive contest.

Alex Pereira: A Future Three-Division UFC Champion?

Borralho also addressed the possibility of Alex Pereira pursuing heavyweight gold in the future — potentially on a high-profile “White House card.”

If Pereira moves up and captures the heavyweight title, Borralho believes he would cement himself as the UFC’s first-ever three-weight world champion.

The power, size, and championship experience Pereira carries into every division make that dream a legitimate possibility in Borralho’s eyes.

High Stakes at UFC 326

With the spotlight shining bright on March 7, Borralho sees UFC 326 as more than just another fight — it’s an opportunity to reassert himself as a serious middleweight title contender.

A win over Reinier de Ridder would not only elevate his position in the rankings but also reaffirm the lessons learned from past setbacks.

For Borralho, it’s about evolution, execution, and proving that he belongs among the division’s elite.

Caio Borralho Exclusive:

Coming off the Naasourdine Imamov hasn’t changed the way I train

Training camp has been amazing. In my last training camp I had a lot of problems, I was sick. Physically and mentally there were a lot of things going on, but now I feel I am doing a proper training camp similar to the ones I did in my first seven fights I won in the UFC. I have been in a good mood and spirit. I have been good with myself, motivated and happy and I can’t wait to give my best and perform. I feel when I train like this and connect with my team, I am unbeatable. I am ready to show my skills to the world.

Coming off a loss doesn’t change the way I train at all. I always train hard. After I win and focus on the next fight, that win is in the past. This way I don’t get comfortable and I can still train hard as this is a new fight. It is the same way when I lose. I lost to Nassourdine Imamov, but that loss doesn’t exist to me anymore. I need to focus on Reiner De Ridder and prepare myself properly. That’s my mindset when it comes to fighting.

I was only 50% in the Imamov fight – I was focused on being a back up for the middleweight title

To be honest with you, against Nassourdine Imamov I was only 50%. I couldn’t read the fight well. I didn’t study the way I should have. I had 2 weight cuts in 3 weeks. I was focusing on Imamov and then all of a sudden I am the back up for the Middleweight title fight and my focus shifted to two more guys. I had a lot of problems within my body. I took a month worth of antibiotics as I was ill during the lead up to the fight. In the fight, I was feeling ready and I fought five rounds with one of the best strikers in the world. The fight was decided by small adjustments he made and props to him. My ability to read the fight wasn’t there. This is one of my best traits I have – to set the plan and execute and I just couldn’t do it. I paid the price.

I had great moments during the fight but I couldn’t capitalise on the great moments. I was 13 months without fighting. That had a big impact on my performance and at the highest level it can change a lot. In these 13 months, Imamov had about 3 fights. This made a lot of difference in the fight. In the fight I think it was 2-2 coming into the 5th round – I didn’t do enough in the 5th round as I should have. I didn’t pressure him and push the pace enough. Ultimately I think it was 3-2 Imamov. However, there was a judge that gave him all 5 rounds which was ridiculous.

Would a win over De Ridder give you a title shot over Chimaev?

I think Khamzat Chimaev only has one more fight at Middleweight before he makes the eventual move to light heavyweight. I think if I fight for the title, I don’t think it will be against Khamzat. I think with a great knockout over De Ridder and a great performance, it will put me back into the conversation of a title fight. The middleweight division is really stacked right now. We have the likes of Brendan Allen, the former champion Dricus Du Plessis, we have Sean Strickland, we have Imamov. With a knockout on March 7th, it would help my case. However, we have to see how the stars align at Middleweight.

Reiner De Ridder was uncomfortable against Brendan Allen

De Ridder did well against Brendan Allen in the first two rounds. His grappling was good and he was dominating. But one thing I saw was that he wasn’t comfortable in those positions. I already fought Brendan Allen in Karate Combat where I dominated him for 2 rounds. One thing I know for sure is that he knows how to defend himself properly. There were a lot of positions that I would normally finish a lot of people in, but I couldn’t do that with Allen. This may have made De Ridder upset and frustrated. Fighting a lot of times in a year and being uncomfortable in a place that he normally feels comfortable. After he got tired, Brendan Allen was able to capitalize and make him quit.

Does this give you confidence going into your fight?

100%. This is a sport of feeling. You feel the guy that you train or fight. I felt I was a better grappler than Brendan Allen. I felt that Allen was the same level as De Ridder. When he was defending, De Ridder couldn’t do much. When Allen went on the offensive, De Ridder didn’t have options. This makes me confident in my fight. Grappling is my go to. I came to MMA being a grappler. I started Judo when I was 6 years old, I started Jiu-Jitsu 16-17 years and I have been a black belt since 2021. I dominated a world sambo champion twice and dominated within the UFC. I just have to be offensive with my grappling against De Ridder and he will have no comeback.

Sean Strickland was always going to beat Fluffy Hernandez – i train with him all the time 

I think it was a good fight, It was Fluffy, getting frustrated a little bit because he couldn’t wrestle Strickland. I don’t think a lot of people know how good Strickland’s takedown defence is. They don’t know how hard it is to maintain him on the ground. He is very strong in the grappling zone. He just doesn’t use it. In the striking department, Anthony Hernandez needs someone that hits hard. He uses this to see a guy getting tired and then goes for the kill. That gives Fluffy confidence to do his game. He couldn’t wrestle, he couldn’t go harder when he needed to, and when he tried he got caught with a knee. I didn’t expect Sean to KO Fluffy like that. I often do predictions for Stake, and I did predict Sean would win the fight. Maybe it was because I train with him all the time.

Any of these guys can be on my radar at any time. Dricus, Brendan, Sean and maybe Fluffy I could fight at some point. Fluffy may need to get back to the win column in order to be in line again. To be honest I wouldn’t want to fight Sean because we have sparred so many rounds in the past and he is a really good friend of mine. However if the UFC said ‘you need to fight Sean, and whoever wins gets to fight for the belt,’ or if Strickland becomes champion again and I have to fight for the belt – there is no way I am saying no! I think Dricus Du Plessis and Brendan Allen are the two most likely on the radar.

Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy are still teammates – the fighting nerds live on

I don’t think it’s the end of the Fighting Nerds. We are still a team. Both Jean and Mauricio are a part of the team. They had a personal disagreement that I didn’t want to put myself into because they are both good friends of mine. I acted when I both saw them going back and forth with each other and it was starting to affect the team. I had to tell them both that they had to sort themselves out. They need to figure it out because the team cannot suffer because of what you guys are going through. They might not train and talk together but they are still going to be in the group. Our Head Coach has sorted out everything and the team will remain intact. All of us are having great comeback victories. Jean after losing to Diego Lopes, came back against Arnold Allen. Ruffy also came back against Fiziev, Carlos Prates after losing to Ian Garry has two knockout victories in a row now. It’s left with me now to comeback after being undefeated for 10 years and then losing to Imamov, I now have to comeback against De Ridder and nothing is going to stop the Fighting Nerds’ comeback. The team needs to be united and the team needs to fight as one.

As of now, I am very confident. I am proud of the team and where we are now in the midst of our comeback season. It’s actually funny because I was the first one to get signed to the UFC and now I’m the last one to get the win after a defeat. It’s just the tip of the Iceberg and I just need to go out there and do my job and the comeback season will be well underway. Sooner or later, we will all have our belts and be on top of the world. The team is doing well – fulfilling their dreams and making money. We are just going to continue the path, and that is to be the most dominant team in UFC history.

I would love to fight Israel Adesanya – I am a big fan of his

Israel Adesanya is definitely someone I would like to fight – if he beats Joe Pyfer. I have a lot of respect for Izzy. He is one of the greatest of all time in the middleweight division. He is also a nice guy, I always have respect for him. Every time we see each other, we talk, we laugh, we party and he even said to me one day we will fight for the belt. I looked up to him when I was growing up in the sport. It is honourable when a fan fights his idol. I think it’s going to be a great fight if we ever meet. If he wins against Pyfer and I dominate De Ridder, it’s a good fight to make.

Charles Oliveira has more knockout power than Max Holloway and will get the finish

Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira will be a very tight fight. However, 155 is Charles’ division. He is more used to the division and he has the knockout power. We already know Max Holloway’s style. He likes to touch, he likes to box and I don’t think he is a knockout artist. He doesn’t have the power to knock out Charles. Charles will move forward all the time, do a lot of front kicks, 1-2s, knees and grappling. The only way Max wins is if takes control of the fight at his own pace and dominates for five rounds. I don’t think this will happen to Charles. Charles has more power than Max Holloway in the lightweight division and will get the finish.

How do you feel a fight between you and Khamzat Chimaev will go?

Khamzat Chimaev will take me down in the first round, but I do know his system. I trained with him years ago and I was able to understand him. What he wants to do, what he wants you to do for him to be able to make his next move. It’s just about thinking about the steps, making him frustrated. In the 2nd and 3rd round, defending the takedowns and making it hard for him. Then I will start to pick up the pace and win the fight by points. It will be hard to knock him out, he has a good chin. He’s hard to submit. I will defend myself in the first round, be strategic in the second and win the fight in 3rd, 4th and 5th. It would be a lie to say I’ll knock him out in the first round. Fighters like to talk but I need to be very strategic, very specific and very intelligent to win a fight against Khamzat. We are speaking about one of the best in the world, he’s the champion.

I would love to fight on White House card: Cyril Gane vs Pereira, Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor vs  Carlos Prates are fights I also want to see

I would love to fight on the White House card. This will be the biggest event in sports history – not just in combat sports. I would love to be a part of it. With a great knockout against De Ridder and it could put me there. The fights I would like to see are: Cyril Gane vs Pereira, Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje, that will be a great fight. Right now, we have just seen the rumour that Conor McGregor might fight Carlos Prates. I don’t know if it is true or not – I just sent Carlos a message, but no response just yet. I can imagine the press conference and the build up to this fight. These are two guys that love to drink Whisky, Prates can drink Proper 12 and say ”Naa it’s not good.” It will be great for the sport. I would 100% be a part of this card.

Alex Pereira will be 3 weight world champion if he fights for the belt at UFC White house

I 100% back Alex Pereira to become the first 3 weight world champion in the UFC. I don’t think it will be against Jon Jones due to his problem with arthritis. He might not fight again and doesn’t need to fight as he has done a lot for the sport already. It will probably be against Gane and I back him 100%. This is a man that debuted in 2022 and he has already become a double champ and has beaten a lot of former champions just using his striking. To be the first 3 weight world champion would put him in a gold status with the UFC.

Ronda Rousey is the best female mma fighter in the world – she will dominate Gina Carano

I was surprised when I saw this fight. I thought Ronda Rousey would never fight again. She’s already a legend, she has made good money and she has done so much for female fighters. I am excited to see her coming back, she was so dominant and inspired a lot of young fighters in the sport. Gina Carano was also a legend too. She was also very good at grappling. But in this world Ronda is the best and she will dominate Gina.