Middleweights Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder were both looking to return to the win column at UFC 326.
While both were coming off single losses, de Ridder’s rather shocking defeat to short-notice replacement Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver last year had many questioning his place in the division, and had opened the door to talk about the former ONE Championship double-champ moving up. Talk that RDR himself had taken part in, though during the UFC 326 media day, he put the blame for his last performance on a severe case of anemia.
Round one began with the two middleweights striking in the center of the Octagon, with Reinier de Ridder landing a few low kicks and a straight that cut the Brazilian early in the fight. Caio Borralho responded, partially landing a strike that dropped the Dutch fighter to one knee. The two dangerously exchanged in close, with de Ridder throwing his patented knee, inadvertently landing to the groin of Borralho.
Following the stoppage, de Ridder began building confidence with short bursts of volume. Borralho responded quickly with power straights, once again finding RDR on uncertain legs. Able to regain his balance, de Ridder started to find some success toward the end of the round.
More action followed in round two, as Borralho marched forward and landed a flush right hook to the head of de Ridder. Continuously working the lead leg, Borralho peppered RDR while pressuring the labored Dutchman. When de Ridder attempted to bring the fight to the ground again, Borralho held up well, staying upright along the cage before de Ridder eventually secured control.
Back in the middle of the Octagon, Borralho maintained a confident striking approach, hands down and seemingly unconcerned with de Ridder’s power. However, the momentum began to shift as de Ridder started leading the exchanges, landing a steady amount of volume behind his jab.
Borralho attacked quickly to begin the final round, landing another hook that wobbled de Ridder and forced him to slip while trying to regain balance. RDR answered with a flush knee up the middle, but this time it was Borralho who brought the fight to the ground. In top position, the Brazilian accumulated control time while threatening a triangle choke and shutting down any attempts from the bottom.
De Ridder eventually worked his way back to his feet and landed with conviction late in the round, returning to straight punches and knees in an effort to even the scoring. As the final seconds ticked away, Borralho landed one last hook on de Ridder, strengthening his case for the scorecards.
A closer fight than it initially appeared, Caio Borralho ultimately won all three rounds on every scorecard, earning a unanimous decision victory over Reinier de Ridder and handing RDR his second consecutive loss.
“It’s comeback season,” Borralho exclaimed in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after getting his hand raised. The Fighting Nerds appear back on track, and Borralho has Dricus Du Plessis on his mind.
With the win, Caio Borralho moves to 18-2 and 7-1 in his UFC career, while Reinier de Ridder drops to 21-4 and 4-2 in the UFC.
Official Result: Caio Borralho def. Reinier de Ridder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
