When Caio Borralho busted on to the scene in 2021 with a big win on Contender Series, nobody was familiar with the Fighting Nerds camp. A year later, the name popped up against when Bruna Brasil punched her ticket to the big show. Then came this year.
2023 was maybe the biggest year for the gym as three more fighters got contracts on Tuesday nights. Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, and Mauricio Ruffy all were extended offers to join the biggest MMA organization in the world. And the man who started it all could not be happier about it.
“It was like a dream come true. It was the same feel as when I got into the UFC. My dream when I got to the UFC was to bring all of my training partners with me,” Borralho said. “Seeing these guys making it, it makes my heart feel so good.”
While the gym seems to have popped up out of nowhere for some, this is something that Borralho has been talking about for years. According to him, we’ve just begun to scratch the surface.
“I’m sure in the next year, we’re going to have like four or five more,” he said. “This is the Fighting Nerds takeover I’ve been talking about since the beginning. This is the takeover and the takeover has started.”
With all of the success that they’ve had on Contender Series, there’s no reason to think it might not continue next year. Borralho has some thoughts on who we should keep an eye out for on next year’s show.
“You guys need to be taking a look at Jair Farias,” Borralho said. “He fought on the Contender Series and lost, but something happened to him just before the fight and the things didn’t go the way we wanted. He’s definitely a guy who is going to be there again next year.”
As for fresh blood, he suggests we might see the first non-Brazilian from the team next.
“You guys need to take a look at a Cuban wrestler that we have. He’s our Yoel Romero. His name is Geovanis Palacios he’s fighting on LFA on November 3rd,” he shared. “He’s 6-0 with 6 finishes. He throws everybody in the air. He’s a Greco-Roman, Cuban wrestler guy and he’s so strong.”
But before we see any of those new names Borralho will look to put a stamp on the rankings for the gym. His next step is a UFC Sao Paulo showdown with Abus Magomedov. That fight will be on the UFC Sao Paulo main card starting at 9pm EST on ESPN+.
