Caio Borralho Jokes He Never Wants to Fight Another Tall Opponent Following Yousri Belgaroui Bout
Caio Borralho is hoping he never has to fight another tall fighter again following his UFC 334 matchup against 6-foot-6 Yousri Belgaroui.
Caio Borralho didn't put on a flashy highlight reel at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, yet he walked out of UFC 334 with his hand raised, and one very clear request for the UFC matchmakers.
Facing 6-foot-6 Dutch kickboxer Yousri Belgaroui on the main card, the No. 5-ranked middleweight contender had to give up five inches in height and four inches in reach (79 inches to 75 inches) against a surging striker who entered the night riding three straight UFC knockout wins. Borralho neutralized that towering frame with a suffocating grappling game plan, sweeping all three judges' scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) for a clean unanimous decision victory.
After 15 minutes of constantly closing distance against one of the division's longest fighters, the 33-year-old Brazilian summed up his night with a laugh during his post-fight reaction.
"I don’t ever wanna fight a tall motherf*cker again!" Borralho joked.
Grappling Over Glory
It is easy to see why Borralho wasn't eager to trade kicks at range. Before the fight, the two middleweights exchanged heated words at the UFC 334 press conference after Belgaroui warned that "when I bite, I bite to kill," prompting a fiery response from Borralho. Once the cage door closed, however, Borralho kept his cool and refused to play into the former GLORY Kickboxing title challenger's wheelhouse.
According to official UFC stats, Belgaroui (11-4) actually outlanded Borralho 28-20 in significant strikes, landing sharp knees and body kicks whenever he found space. Still, Borralho dictated where the fight took place, scoring a career-best five takedowns on 13 attempts while racking up 7 minutes, 47 seconds of control time—nearly half the fight—and threatening with a tight neck crank in the opening round.
With the win, Borralho improves to 19-2 with one no-contest and extends his winning streak to two straight following his March victory over another tall Dutchman, Reinier de Ridder. Having successfully defended his top-five spot against an unranked prospect, Borralho is ready to look back up the 185-pound ladder—preferably at someone closer to eye level.
