Caio Borralho climbed back into the win column with a decisive victory over Reinier de Ridder in the UFC 326 co-main event.
Borralho came out swinging early, but a low blow from RDR just past the one-minute mark put a pause on the contest. Fortunately, Borralho was able to shake it off—literally—and get back in the game.
Borralho continued to dominate on the feet, but before long, RDR would notch his first takedown of the fight, getting his opponent up against the fence and taking Borralho’s back. But despite racking up some control time late in the round, RDR wasn’t able to swing the scorecards in his favor.
After dominating much of the first round, Borralho appeared to slow significantly in the second, allowing RDR to continue racking up control time and pull ahead in significant strikes.
With the fight potentially tied up, Borralho came out swinging heavy in the third.
In an unexpected twist, Borralho logged his first takedown of the fight, getting RDR on his back near the fence and settling into side control. With two minutes to go in the contest, RDR climbed back to his feet, but there appeared to be little left in his gas tank.
Both fighters offered up a labored head kick in the final seconds, but neither came close to landing, sending us to the scorecards for a decision.
Official Result: Caio Borralho def. Reinier de Ridder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
