Caio Borralho admits he made what he now calls “a bad idea” in his career, yet insists he wouldn’t take it back as he heads into a crucial middleweight clash with Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326 in Las Vegas.
Borralho’s “bad idea” refers to the choice to cut weight twice in a short window so he could act as an alternate for a championship fight at UFC 319, sacrificing weeks of training while still committed to face Imavov. Strickland, who trained with him during that stretch, later vented that Borralho had been “cutting, an alternate” for four weeks instead of focusing on camp.
The Brazilian returns on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena, looking to reset after a difficult 2025 campaign that saw his momentum stall following a lopsided decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris. That defeat snapped a seven-fight winning streak and marked his first UFC loss after a run that included a five-round decision over former title challenger Jared Cannonier in August 2024, a result that had pushed him into the top 10 at middleweight.
Since then, questions have followed about the choices he made outside the cage, particularly his decision to serve as a backup fighter for a UFC title bout while already booked for his own high-stakes matchup.
Caio Borralho Explains Bad Career Move
At a pre-fight media appearance for UFC 326, Borralho was asked directly about that period and whether he regrets the move that many, including teammate Sean Strickland, labeled a major mistake. He did not dodge the topic, instead summing it up in blunt terms:
“100%, it was a bad idea, but I don’t regret it. That’s all I need to say. It was an experience. I took the best of it and I learned. And why is better in life than learning? Keep learning, right?”
For Borralho, the episode has become a turning point rather than a lingering regret. He framed it as a hard lesson in how to manage opportunity, risk, and his own limits at the elite level, stressing that he has used the experience to reassess his team structure and his approach to pressure.
Ahead of UFC 326, Borralho insists that the turbulence of the past year has led him back to a better version of himself as he prepares for De Ridder, a former ONE Championship two-division titleholder now trying to climb the UFC middleweight ladder. Asked about his current state, Borralho gave a detailed and confident update:
“Right now I feel 100%. I feel myself again. I get to know myself a little bit more, I dig really deep, get to know myself even better. And I think that’s where my power comes from, because I know myself so much right now. Yeah, 100% motivated, happy, ready to rock and roll.”
The matchup with De Ridder is a key piece of a stacked UFC 326 card headlined by Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira 2 and is framed as a pivotal bout for the middleweight division. For Borralho, it is also a chance to show that the “bad idea” that derailed his rise has now become fuel as he tries to reassert himself as a serious contender at 185 pounds.
