Rising middleweight contender Caio Borralho believes the key to his success has been to always remain a white belt.
Of course, Borralho is a black belt in BJJ and even a former national judo champion, but mentally, ‘The Natural’ believes it’s important to always continue learning, no matter how experienced one becomes in a specific art.
“You are like a forever white belt, you know? Sometimes people think they’re already black belts, and they stop learning in this process,” Borralho said during an appearance on Submission Radio. “I don’t want this to happen to me, so I’ve been searching for the best training.”
It seems as though Borralho’s approach has been working quite well. Thus far, he is 7-0 inside the Octagon with his biggest wins coming against Arman Petrosyan, Paul Craig, and most recently, Jared Cannonier. Those victories have thrust the Brazilian into the No. 6 spot in the middleweight rankings and potentially one impressive showing away from his first UFC title opportunity.
Caio Borralho reveals why his rumored fight with Israel Adesanya never materialized
After his decision victory over Cannonier, Borralho was hoping to bag himself a big fight with former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya. Unfortunately, ‘The Last Stylebender’ chose to throw hands with Nassourdine Imavov who sits one spot higher on the middleweight rankings than Borralho.
“I think the UFC offered Izzy two fights: me or Imavov,” Borralho said on the Overdogs Podcast. “And then, he suddenly posted a clip studying Imavov’s tape, and I was like, ‘Come on, bro.’ I sent a message to Izzy, and was like, ‘Bro, why you choosing that?’
“He was like, ‘Bro, we’re going to fight next year. We’re going to dance next year for the belt.’ It’s OK, I respect you if you choose that. I think he chose right. I think Imavov is a better fight for him, and I think Izzy is the favorite in this fight.”
There’s always the chance that Borralho could be matched up with fourth-ranked contender Robert Whittaker in 2025, or even face the winner of face the winner of Adesanya vs. Imavov.
Either way, ‘The Natural’ will look to make the biggest statement possible in his next outing and establish himself as a legitimate contender to the coveted middleweight crown.
