Caio Borralho solidified his status as one of the middleweight division’s top contenders on Saturday night, fighting five hard rounds against former title challenger Jared Cannonier to take a unanimous decision win.
It wasn’t easy, but after 25 minutes of action, Borralho walked away with a victory in a fight that headlined a UFC card from the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The five-round scrap between Borralho and Cannonier almost exclusively took place on the feet, with the 185-pound fighters engaging in back-and-forth exchanges.
Borralho had a solid opening round, out-landing a slow-starting Cannonier. The experienced Cannonier upped his output in the second round, advancing on Borralho and throwing a higher clip of shots than the Brazilian contender.
The first major moment of the fight emerged near the end of the third round when a hard left cross caused Cannonier to get significantly wobbled. While he tripped and stumbled after eating the shot, the American remained on his feet and survived the round. It was this moment which likely stole the fight for Borralho, putting him ahead slightly.
Cannonier answered back with a strong fourth frame, putting together punches that opened a massive gash under the right eye of Borralho.
Borralho, already ahead on two scorecards by the final round, closed out his performance by nearly earning a finish. A left hand violently dropped Cannonier with two minutes to go, putting him in significant danger. Borralho went to the ground in hopes of finishing the fight with ground and pound, but couldn’t do enough to convince referee Dan Miragliotta to end the fight.
Borralho walked away with a marked-up face and a head which consumed 57 strikes, but also a decision win that will move him up the middleweight rankings significantly.
“I’ve never been on the easy road,” Borralho said during his post-fight interview. “All my opponents have been tough. I think all my opponents made me the athlete I am. Made my have this top-five level [fighter], boy!”
12th-place middleweight Borralho entered Saturday with six UFC wins to his record, including a finish against Paul Craig and a decision last over Abus Magomedov. The victory on Saturday could move him as high as fifth, the spot Cannonier took up before this weekend.
Cannonier has been one of the top middleweight contenders for years, earning him a title shot in 2022 against Israel Adesanya. His run toward a second title opportunity was brought to a halt in June when he suffered a controversial fourth-round stoppage loss against Nassourdine Imavov. Before that defeat, he had five-round victories over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland.
Cannonier was a massive step up in competition for Borralho, who had never faced anyone in the top 10 prior to Saturday. Now that he has shown that he could hang with Cannonier, Borralho can be considered one of the weight class’s hottest names.
Ricci Defeats Hill In Fast-Paced Strawweight Clash
Tabatha Ricci scored the biggest win of her UFC career yet in Saturday’s co-main event, putting on a highly competitive three-round bout against Angela Hill to win via unanimous decision.
Ricci had a strong start against Hill, overwhelming the veteran talent by charging forward with shots and engaging in clinches. Hill started to come alive as the fight went on, upping her output to make it a more competitive bout and ultimately snagging the final round on scorecards. However, by the time Hill was able to win a round, Ricci had already done enough to take the fight via decision.
The win could place 11th-ranked Ricci into the strawweight division’s top 10, as Hill entered Saturday with the ninth place to her name.
Ricci has put together six wins through eight UFC appearances thus far. She overcame experienced talent Tecia Pennington earlier this year, earning a split decision nod that put her back into the win column.
Veteran Hill had a two-fight winning streak brought to an end with the fight. The 39-year-old fighter was returning after scoring her first submission win in May, catching Luana Pinheiro with a guillotine choke.
Loder Stops Valentin In Middleweight ‘TUF Finale
The dominant wrestling skills of Ryan Loder allowed him to secure a second-round stoppage win against Robert Valentin, crowning him the middleweight “Ultimate Fighter.”
Loder wailed away with elbows from a crucifix position in the second round, putting together enough shots to make referee Mark Smith end the fight.
The finish put an end to a fight that had a close opening round. Loder scored a takedown early in that round as well, attempting a head and arm choke after getting to the canvas. Valentin was able to escape this move and get on the back of Loder for a rear naked choke, pursuing the submission for a significant amount of time.
33-year-old Loder is now on the UFC roster just three years after debuting in MMA. He quickly attained six wins as a pro before this weekend, adjusting his wrestling background to an MMA style to have a strong transition into the sport. He previously earned a lightning-quick submission against Tom Theocharis and beat Omran Chaaban on scorecards to secure a spot in the show’s final this weekend.
Switzerland’s Valentin had one of the more explosive journeys to the “TUF finals, scoring a quick elbow knockout against Giannis Bachar in the quarter-finals and then putting away Paddy McCorry in the first round.
Santos Lands One-Punch Knockout To Win ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Featherweight Tournament
Mairon Santos picked up a highlight-reel finish in “The Ultimate Fighter’s” featherweight finals this weekend, putting Kaan Ofli out with a clean left hook in the second round.
A left hand as part of a combination late in the second round caused Ofli to crumple to the canvas, putting a sudden end to their fight. Santos was clearly leading the bout’s stand-up exchanges prior to the finish, connecting with the harder and more damaging blows through two rounds.
24-year-old Santos was the youngest fighter on this year’s season of “TUF,” but entered with an extensive record from the regional scene in Brazil. He made his way into the finals after going the distance in his previous tournament fights, getting past Guillermo Torres and Edwin Cooper Jr. on scorecards.
“I don’t have words to describe it,” Santos said during his post-fight interview. “I don’t know if I’m dreaming, I don’t know. It feels amazing. Everything I’ve worked for.”
Ofli had a pair of big wins on the show, submitting Roedi Roets early and overcoming Cage Warriors vet Nathan Fletcher on scorecards. The loss on Saturday ended an eight-fight winning streak he mostly attained on the Australian regional scene.
Morales Breaks Into Welterweight Rankings With First-Round Finish
Undefeated Michael Morales put away veteran Neil Magny in the first round, guaranteeing him a spot in the official welterweight standings next week.
Brutal ground and pound from Morales in full mount forced a stoppage late in the opening round. Magny looked to wrestle against Morales early in the fight but found himself in trouble after eating a spinning back elbow. Morales went after Magny on the ground following the shot, eventually piecing together enough shots to score a stoppage.
Morales has now put together five wins since entering the UFC roster in 2022, including a trio of finish victories. The unranked talent is expected to earn a spot in the welterweight standings after this weekend, as Magny entered this weekend 12th in the division.
37-year-old Magny was aiming to get a second consecutive win this year, returning after stopping the momentum of Mike Malott in January with a comeback stoppage result.
Meerschaert Mounts Record-Breaking Comeback Against Shahbazyan
Gerald Meerschaert put together a “Comeback of the Year” contender against Edmen Shahbazyan, recovering from a rough knockdown early in the second round to secure a head and arm choke submission victory.
Shahbazyan was seemingly just moments away from a win early in the second frame, dropping veteran Meerschaert with a hook to the body. He started to unload a long series of ground and pound shots after the knockdown, trying to finish the fight on the ground. However, Meerschaert survived the onslaught, using his grappling skills from the back to slow the momentum of Shahbazyan and stay in the fight.
Shortly after the contest returned to the feet, Meerschaert brought Shahbazyan back to the canvas with a takedown. From half guard he attacked an arm triangle choke, forcing a tap from with a little less than a minute to go in the round.
The impressive victory for Meerschaert, his second consecutive win this year after submitting Bryan Barberena in March, set a new UFC record. Meerschaert is now the record-holder for most finishes in the middleweight division’s history, having attained a dozen since his 2016 promotional debut.
Following his win, Meerschaert called for a December 14th fight against Paul Craig.
Shahbazyan was aiming to earn a two-fight winning streak for the first time since 2019, coming back after stopping AJ Dobson with strikes in March. He has now lost five of his last seven pro fights.
Prelim Results: Marshall Wins Brawl Against Buzukja, Wang Earns 63-Second KO In UFC Debut
In a lightweight contest which turned into a war halfway through, Francis Marshall was given a scorecard nod over Dennis Buzukja. Marshall’s aggressive wrestling notched him an early round on scorecards. He also started to land significant punches in the second frame, knocking Buzukja down with a right hook at one point. But New York’s Buzukja was able to answer back and make the fight a back-and-forth brawl in the final minutes, marking up the face of Marshall and doing enough to convince one judge he had won. Marshall returned to the win column with the performance, bouncing back from a year that saw him take back-to-back defeats.
A tough Zach Reese put a beating on Jose Medina for three rounds, coming close to earning a finish at points but eventually settling with a unanimous decision result. The fight was Reese’s first time going deeper than a single round in a pro MMA fight, with all six of his prior wins emerging in less than five minutes. Medina was entering the UFC roster despite a loss in his “Dana White’s Contender Series” appearance last year.
Viacheslav Borschev returned to the win column with a hard-fought three-round striking contest against James Llontop, engaging in a fast-paced bout that forced a split decision outcome. Borshchev had a strong start to the fight and especially had an emphatic five minutes in the second round, but had to endure a late swing of momentum the way of Llontop as the fight neared its end. Borshchev was returning after suffering a submission loss against Chase Hooper earlier this year.
Jacqueline Cavalcanti overcame Josiane Nunes in a close three-round stand-up battle via split decision. Cavalcanti used her significant reach advantage to out-land her opponent but ate a decent amount of shots from an aggressive Nunes along the way. The Portugal-based fighter was coming back after winning her promotional debut last year against Zarah Fairn.
Flyweight prospect Wang Cong had an impressive UFC debut in the opening bout of the night, putting away Victoria Leonardo in just 62 seconds with a walk-off right cross knockout. Wang was signed onto the promotion’s roster earlier this year after scoring five wins as a pro, including a showcase fight as part of the “Road To UFC” tournament earlier this year.
Saturday’s card proceeded without an expected prelim fight between “The Ultimate Fighter” competitors Nathan Fletcher and Zygimantas Ramaska. Fletcher, who was eliminated in the featherweight tournament this year against Kaan Ofli, had to withdraw from his appearance on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury. The fight was an extra opportunity for Ramaska after the Nevada State Athletic Commission didn’t approve him for a semi-final round fight on the UFC reality show, forcing him out of the tournament.
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 11: Caio Borralho def. Jared Cannonier via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Tabatha Ricci def. Angela Hill via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Ryan Loder def. Robert Valentin via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:49) (The Ultimate Fighter Middleweight Finals)
Bout 8: Mairon Santos def. Kaan Ofli via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:30) (The Ultimate Fighter Featherweight Finals)
Bout 7: Michael Morales def. Neil Magny via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:39)
Bout 6: Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2, 4:12)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Francis Marshall def. Dennis Buzukja via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Zach Reese def. Jose Medina via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Viacheslav Borshchev def. James Llontop via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Josiane Nunes via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Wang Cong def. Victoria Leonardo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:02)
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