Caio Borralho will be in the UFC middleweight top five next week.
He won an impressive unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier in the UFC Vegas 96 main event. The scrap was a spirited one. Both fighters had their moments, but Borralho had the more memorable ones, especially in the fifth round when he nearly stopped Cannonier. A one-two combo rocked Cannonier badly.
Quite honestly, the fight could have been stopped based on how Cannonier came crashing onto the canvas. Veteran referee Dan Miragliota allowed it to continue, and Cannonier survived the round with grit and determination.
However, Borralho had clearly done enough to lock down the win. Following the fight, Borralho was asked for a call-out. He may have wasted an opportunity as he chose to call out current champion Dricus Du Plessis.
As the likely No-5 ranked fighter, that’s not a crazy concept. However, considering Sean Strickland has already been promised the next shot at the title, it makes no sense to call for a title shot. The proper callout would have been Israel Adesanya. The former champion has lost his last two fights but is still ranked No. 3.
If Borralho gets that fight and wins, he could then ask for a title shot and have a better case. As it is, he did lock down one of the event’s bonuses as he and Cannonier won Fight of the Night for their entertaining brawl.
Here is a look at all of the results from UFC Vegas 96 and the highlights of the finishes.
- Caio Borralho defeats Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-45×2, 48-46)
- Tabatha Ricci defeats Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Ryan Loder defeats Robert Valentin via TKO at 1:49 of Round 2
After overcoming a tough first round, Loder rebounded to dominate the second, forcing a TKO victory. Loder secured the advantageous position with the crucifix, raining down elbows to force the referee to stop the fight.
Loder is the Ultimate Fighter Season 32 middleweight winner.
Take a look at the finish:
- Mairon Santos defeats Kaan Ofli via KO at 1:30 of Round 2
Santos looked excellent every second of the fight, and he turned Ofli’s lights out with a perfect left hook to become the TUF Season 32 featherweight champion.
Here is a look at the finish:
- Michael Morales defeats Neil Magny via TKO at 4:39 of Round 1
Morales looks like a legit title contender at 170 pounds. He destroyed the tough welterweight gatekeeper getting the TKO after flattening Magny out and landing non-stop punches.
Here is the finish:
- Gerald Meerschaert defeats Edmen Shahbazyan via submission at 4:12 of Round 2 (Arm triangle)
Meerschaert had to dig deep after finding himself in trouble during the first round, but the veteran rebounded, securing the submission win to give him the most finishes in UFC middleweight history.
Here is the finish:
- Francis Marshall defeats Dennis Buzukja via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Zachary Reese defeats Jose Daniel Medina via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
- Viacheslav Borshchev defeats James Llontop via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Josiane Nunes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Wang Cong defeats Victoria Leonardo via KO at 1:02 of Round 1
The flamboyant and powerful Chinese fighter made a splash in her first UFC fight. Cong’s one-hitter quitter was the most memorable finish of the evening, but she still didn’t get one of the bonuses.
Here is a look at the KO:
UFC Vegas 96 Bonus Winners
FOTN: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
POTN: Gerald Meerschaert and Michael Morales
