Wang Cong brought a vicious beginning to UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho, as well as her Octagon career, thanks to a brutal knockout to claim victory in just 62 seconds in the card’s opening bout. With the win, Cong set the second-fastest knockout in UFC women’s flyweight history. The Chinese fighter connected with a […]
Wang Cong brought a vicious beginning to UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho, as well as her Octagon career, thanks to a brutal knockout to claim victory in just 62 seconds in the card’s opening bout.
With the win, Cong set the second-fastest knockout in UFC women’s flyweight history.
The Chinese fighter connected with a solid one-two, which saw a right cross connect on the button and drop opponent Victoria Leonardo in vicious fashion.
Wang Cong Drops Victoria Leonardo In Just One Minute With Strong Right Hand
This was Wang’s first win since defeating Paula Luna on Road to UFC this past May.
She made her professional MMA debut in 2022, competing for promotions such as UAE Warriors and Kunlun Fighting World Championship while going 4-0 with two finishes.
Leonardo, meanwhile, has now lost four of five since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.
Saturday’s event will be headlined by a crucial middleweight contest between former title challenger Jared Cannonier and the fast-charging Caio Borralho. Elsewhere, the likes of Neil Magny and Angela Hill will make the walk to the Octagon.
An Apex card that was already questionable in the minds of some fans received a hit just as the broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho started. The broadcast opened with the commentary team announcing that the preliminary card bout between two TUF 32 participants, Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher, was scrapped due to […]
An Apex card that was already questionable in the minds of some fans received a hit just as the broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho started.
The broadcast opened with the commentary team announcing that the preliminary card bout between two TUF 32 participants, Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher, was scrapped due to a medical issue for Fletcher. According to UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, the cancellation came just minutes before the card was scheduled to begin.
This knocked the lineup down to five preliminary card fights and five main card bouts.
Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher Canceled Due To Medical Issue Minutes Before UFC Fight Night Begins
Both men competed on season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, which was coached by UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso and former champion and upcoming challenger Valentina Shevchenko.
Ramaska defeated Bekhzod Usmonov in the opening round of the featherweight tournament in a fight considered one of the best of the season. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission did not medically clear him on late notice to move on to the semifinals.
Fletcher, meanwhile, was defeated by Kaan Ofli in the opening round, and any potential plans for him to replace Ramaska in the tournament were dashed the week prior when it was discovered he had a broken fibula.
Ofli and Mairon Santos compete later tonight in the featherweight final of the show, while Ryan Loder and Robert Valentin compete in the middleweight finale.
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 […]
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.
Josh Thomson recently suggested that the UFC might be cutting costs with the upcoming matchup between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho. The two middleweight contenders are poised to square off in the main event of a UFC Fight Night this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cannonier is fresh off a contentious […]
Meanwhile, Borralho is riding high after delivering an impressive second-round knockout of Paul Craig at UFC 301 in May. “The Natural” is currently on a six-fight win streak, fueled by his back-to-back standout performances at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.
This fight offers distinct opportunities for both fighters: Cannonier is eager to reestablish himself in the title conversation, while Borralho is aiming to break into the top 10 middleweight rankings with a victory this weekend.
Thomson Believes UFC Sees Greater Potential In Borralho For The Future
During a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast with former MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy, Thomson delved into why the UFC might have paired a seasoned veteran like Cannonier with a rising prospect such as Borralho.
“The Punk” speculated that the UFC might either be banking on the Brazilian to rise as a future force in the middleweight division or that this matchup could simply be a strategic move to trim expenses.
“I think it’s two reasons why they do,” Thomson said. “One is Caio Borralho is someone we’re not paying a lot of money right now, and we’re probably paying Jared Cannonier maybe double, so that’s one reason. Second is Jared Cannonier is 40 years old, and we’re paying him all that money, but we know he won’t be around much longer.”
“So let’s see if we can get the young stud an opportunity to get a win over a highly ranked fighter, and we can get him to fight top-level fighters for less money because he’s still on that sh*tty contract. So they’re going to keep—that’s the way this business works.”
UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho believes his youth will play a major factor against Jared Cannonier in their upcoming main event. The promotion recently announced a late-notice headliner for the UFC Fight Night at the Apex on August 24, with former 185-pound title challenger and top-five contender Cannonier defending his position on the ladder against […]
Borralho is unbeaten in 15 fights since defeat in just his second professional bout, and he’s extended that run with a perfect 6-0 UFC record since breaking through on Dana White’s Contender Series three years ago.
Having most recently knocked out Paul Craig in emphatic fashion at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro to climb to #12 in the middleweight pecking order, “The Natural” has received a major opportunity.
And although “The Killa Gorilla” marks a big step up in competition for him, the Brazilian expects to be sharing the cage with a fading vet later this month…
Borralho Sees Clear Advantage Over ‘Aging’ Cannonier
During an interview with Mike Owens for InsideFighting, Borralho looked ahead to his recently announced maiden headliner on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
While “The Natural” acknowledged the “scary” nature of Cannonier’s power, which has helped him become one of just two fighters to record knockouts across three UFC divisions, he believes the veteran is slowing down.
And with the Brazilian approaching his prime as he rises the ranks at 185 pounds, Borralho is expecting to be the one who “breaks” the 40-year-old.
“He’s number five in the world, so I think it will be a great opportunity for me to show my work and what I’m capable of,” Borralho said. “I’m very excited about this fight because Jared is a very scary guy; fought in three divisions, great knockout power. In the middleweight division, he’s only lost to two former champions. … He lost to Imavov but I think it was an early stoppage.
“I think he’s a good guy to face because it’s gonna really test myself, and that’s what I really want. … I think it’s gonna be another clinical victory for myself,” Borralho continued. “(Cannonier) was slowing down (against Imavov). I saw his fight against Strickland; he did a very good pace, was with a good gas tank. But he was 37, I think 38. Now he’s 40, almost 41. I think the age — I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I think the age is coming at him. He’s kind of slowing down and not with the same gas tank. I think this will be the breaking point because I’m gonna put the pressure on. … The old man’s not gonna take it, with all due respect.”
Whether or not that plan comes to fruition remains to be seen, but either way, a strong result at the expense of “The Killa Gorilla” will certainly leave him with a prime position in the title picture.
Top 15 middleweights will meet in the Octagon on August 24th!
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 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.
Top 15 middleweights will meet in the Octagon on August 24th!
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)
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