“Adesanya and then the title” – Caio Borralho wants to chase “Stylebender” before Dricus Du Plessis fights for the title

Caio Borralho impressed the whole world with his recent performance against Jared Cannonierand won their fight by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Vegas 96. This win ensured that “The Natural” jumped to the 5th spot in the UFC middleweight rankings. It goes without saying that the Brazilian mixed martial artist is just a few fights away from a shot at the UFC middleweight championship title.

But before ‘The Natural’ hits Dricus Du Plessishe has his sights set on the man who has ruled the UFC MW division twice before. Borralho has actually expressed his desire to fight Israel Adesanya before you fight for the title!

Caio Borralho plans a fight against Israel Adesanya before the title fight

Israel Adesanya was left completely disappointed at UFC 305. While the majority of the MMA world believed that “The Last Stylebender” would become middleweight champion for the third time, Du Plessis shattered all those dreams when he put Adesanya down with a powerful right hook and then successfully executed a rear naked choke in the 4th round of their fight. But that loss did not mean that the Nigerian-born fighter lost his skills.

The Brazilian fighter believed that it was all due to a lack of concentration. He said“Perhaps [Adesanya’s] not the same focused guy as before, but he is still the same guy with the same technique, the same skill and the same dominance…” Now that Boralho has found his way into the top 5 of the UFC middleweight rankings, talks of a title fight for him are not far away.

But before fighting for the title, “The Natural” apparently set his sights on the former two-time middleweight champion. He continued“I think Adesanya might be the best fight for me right now. If I had to pick one more fight before the title, it would probably be Adesanya and then the title.”

Borralho’s decision to fight Adesanya was also supported by his peers. Speaking to Submission Radio, he said: Robert Whittaker reiterated that Adesanya would have to fight someone like Borralho to keep his position in the rankings. And as expected, the Brazilian immediately seized the opportunity.

However, Borralho spoke out about the fight against Cannonier and stated that he was not happy with the result. After UFC Vegas 96, Borralho criticized referee Dan Miragliotta for making a wrong decision. Let’s see what the Brazilian had to say.

“The Natural” criticized the referee for not stopping the fight against Jared Cannonier

At the post-fight press conference at UFC Vegas 96, Borralho heavily criticized the referee for not stopping the fight earlier. There is no doubt that Cannonier is one of the most impressive fighters in the middleweight division. But given the numerous kicks to the calf, Borralho was sure that Cannonier was in tremendous pain. However, the referee decided not to stop the fight.

Borralho said“Jared is a very dangerous opponent. I think the fight went well, my jab was just right. My calf kicks were just right. I just did my job. I almost made it, but I think the referee should have stopped the fight because Jared was very [badly hurt]. It is what it is. I’m very grateful to be able to spend 25 minutes with one of the best in the world. Name me one guy that did that to Jared, tell me.”

Borralho was quite impressed with his performance against Cannonier. For this reason, MW #5 requested a meeting with the UFC boss, Dana WhiteNow, looking at The Last Style Alive, Borralho’s ambitions to become champion are much closer than they seem. And it would be the fight in which Adesanya could redeem himself.

The Brazilian is one of two fights in the top five middleweight division that would be a fresh fight for Adesanya. Nassourdine Imavov is fighting soon and Adesanya has already fought everyone else. If he can get a win over Borralho before the end of the year, he could earn a title shot sometime next year. As for Borralho, “Stylebender” is definitely a slingshot that could catapult him into the title scene.

Do you think Adesanya will accept Borralho’s challenge and take the fight to the Octagon? Let us know what you think in the comments below.