Tag: UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho

Jared Cannonier looks to return to the win column this weekend by turning back a UFC middleweight contender on the rise.

Caio Borralho has won six in a row to find himself in this position, but in Cannonier, he faces by far his toughest test to date.

Despite what fans saw from him last time out at UFC 301, where he stopped Paul Craig in devastating fashion, the Brazilian is better known for his grappling skills.

Given the high-level opposition that he has faced during his time competing at both middleweight and several other weight classes in the UFC, this isn’t something that is going to faze “The Killa Gorilla.”

Jared Cannonier Doesn’t Understand Why People Underestimate His Grappling

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie ahead of this weekend’s middleweight main event, Cannonier was asked whether, in his mind, this fight boils down to if he can stop Borralho from having success with his takedowns.

The 185-pound stalwart doesn’t have this point of view and isn’t afraid to let his opponent test his grappling if that’s the way things end up going. He believes that his ground game is slept on by the rest of the division, potentially because you very rarely see opponents try to take him down.

“If he ends up on the bottom, it’s not going to be too good for him down there either, so I got all the confidence in my ground game,” Cannonier said. “I don’t know why people think my ground game isn’t good. I haven’t been submitted in the UFC, I haven’t been submitted in my career.

“When I was green, I fought Glover Teixeira. I spent a lot of time underneath him and didn’t get tapped, and I was green as far as my grappling goes back then,” Cannonier continued. “I’m much better now. I’m attacking you guys. If you guys think you want to take me down, you’re more than welcome to try.”

Cannonier believes Borralho and the rest of the middleweight division could be in for a shock if the ground is where they think his weakness is.

• Read More: MMA Analyst Feels UFC Trying To Cut Costs With Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Fight: ‘He’s Still On That S**tty Contract’

Continue Reading Jared Cannonier Dismisses Caio Borralho’s Grappling Superiority Ahead Of UFC Fight Night Main Event: ‘I Fought Glover Teixeira!’ at MMA News.

The Apex-held UFC Fight Night on August 24 finally has its headliner, and it’ll see a pair of top middleweights throw down.

With less than three weeks remaining until the Las Vegas card, the UFC revealed the main event for Aug. 24 on Tuesday, announcing that Jared Cannonier (17-7) will defend his top-five ranking against the fast-rising Caio Borralho (16-1, 1 NC).

The late-notice bout marks relatively quick turnarounds for both men, with the American controversially defeated by Nassourdine Imavov this past June and the Brazilian up-and-comer getting the better of Paul Craig the previous month.

Cannonier Looks To Rebound From Debated TKO Loss, Blemish Borralho’s Perfect UFC Record

When he makes his return for a second headliner of the summer, the #5-ranked Cannonier will look to quickly erase the memory of his difficult setback two months ago.

The former title challenger, who is one of just two fighters in UFC history to record knockouts in three different weight classes, has been pursuing a second shot at the 185-pound gold since falling short against Israel Adesanya in 2022. While that journey got underway well with wins over then-future champ Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori, his progress was stalled in controversial fashion when referee Jason Herzog deemed him unable to continue following an onslaught from Imavov in their Louisville headliner.

A couple of months on from that widely questioned setback, Cannonier will return for redemption at the expense of Borralho, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum who has risen to #12 in the division’s top 15 courtesy of a perfect 6-0 record inside the Octagon. “The Natural” most recently secured his second performance bonus by knocking out Craig at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro this past May.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 24 are as follows:

• Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho (middleweight main event)
• Neil Magny vs. Michael Morales (welterweight)
• Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci (women’s strawweight)
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert (middleweight)
• Josiane Nunes vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti (women’s bantamweight)
• Dennis Buzukja vs. Danny Silva (featherweight)
• José Medina vs. Zachary Reese (middleweight)
• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop (lightweight)
• Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonardo (women’s flyweight)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by “The Natural” Caio Borralho (@caioborralho)

• Read More: UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/29-8/4): Geoff Neal, Rob Font, Robelis Despaigne, & More Get Next Fights

Continue Reading Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Announced As Late-Notice UFC Fight Night Main Event On August 24 at MMA News.