It’s been a stop-start few years for fan favorite fighter Jared Cannonier, with the ‘Killa Gorilla’ looking to bounce back from a controversial loss to Nassourdine Imavov by pumping the brakes on the latest middleweight hype train.
Cannonier returns to action this weekend to face the surging 16-1 Brazilian contender, Caio Borralho, in the main event of UFC Vegas 96 – and it’s safe to say that the promotional veteran is looking forward to the challenge posed by the ‘young bull’.
Jared Cannonier vs Caio Borralho headlines UFC Vegas 96 this weekend
MMA fans are in for a solid, albeit decidedly shallow, Fight Night card this weekend; headlined by popular rising contender Caio Borralho against former title challenger Jared Cannonier in the main event.
Borralho is 6-0 in the UFC with one win via KO/TKO, one win via submission, and four by way of the judges’ scorecards – he is currently ranked at #12 in the middleweight division.
His opponent, Jared Cannonier, has had a rollercoaster few years since his title defeat to Israel Adesanya; besting both Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori by decision, only to be finished by Nassourdine Imavov in his last contest – he holds the #5 spot in the rankings.
Jared Cannonier previews his upcoming main event clash with Borralho
Caio Borralho rides into his first-ever UFC main event this weekend on the back of an outstanding 15-fight winning streak, with Cannonier quick to celebrate the challenge at hand during his UFC Connected chat with Jim Norton and Matt Serra.
“I’m expecting a durable, young and dynamic fighter who has a lot of confidence behind him,” explained the 40-year-old veteran, adding how “You’ve got to be confident to have a neck tattoo like that.
“The guy’s coming in with some big balls for sure, I’m expecting a young bull who’s ready to go at it out there. I’m sure he’s going to be measured, they don’t call those guys the Fighting Nerds for nothing but again his fighting style is dynamic and explosive; it’s going to be all over the place.”
Given that Borralho has a lightning-fast double leg, a 63% takedown accuracy and four career wins by way of submission, Cannonier expects that the Brazilian will be looking to take the fight to the ground.
Yet despite ‘The Natural’ riding into UFC Vegas 96 as the slight betting favorite, Cannonier knows that it’s up to him to force his style on the dynamic newcomer – especially given how Borralho hasn’t yet faced this level of competition so far in the UFC.
“It’s a quick turnaround, which is what I really wanted.”
Jared Cannonier hopes to put his recent loss in the rearview mirror with a strong win over the up-and-coming Caio Borralho. #UFCVegas96
Fight by Fight Preview ➡️: https://t.co/k4z83N1XwZ
— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 22, 2024
“I want to be the indomitable one, I want to start putting the pressure on him, I want to shut him down and make him stagnant, if he wants to be explosive [then] I’m going to make him reconsider that aspect of his game.
“I’m going to have answers to anything he brings, and then I’m going to have questions for him like ‘What are you doing in front of me? Can you take this jab? Can you take this cross? What about these kicks?’”
Whilst the ‘Killa Gorilla’ would love to secure his seventh knockout in the UFC this weekend, he also acknowledged that “I always have to be realistic with myself because these guys are tough as hell.
“I’m going to go out there and focus on what I need to do… We can get all romantic about ‘This is war, this is a fight’ but it is what it is, it’s my livelihood, it’s my love, it’s my passion, it’s what I’ve chosen to do in the few decades that I have [been] on this Earth – and I’m glad I’m able to do it.”
Caio Borralho is aiming to make a statement against Cannonier
As noted by Cannonier, Caio Borralho is arguably one of the most self-confident fighters in the entire middleweight division and in turn, ‘The Natural’ is targeting a statement win this weekend as he eyes a Top 5 ranking.
Speaking via ESPN MMA earlier in the week, Borralho called himself the “new breed of the division” and teased that if he can put on a dominating performance at the Apex, especially one that ends in another viral finish, he’ll find himself in title contention.
“I’m the new breed of the division, people already know who I am but now people are going to put me in the [title] contender mix… After a good finish against Jared, I think there’ll be no question about it – I’ll be the next contender.
“In my last fight, my mantra was ‘I’m going to KO Paul Craig’ and I did it; in this fight, my mantra is ‘I’m going to show that the new champion has arrived’ – that’s my mantra right now.”
Jared Cannonier vs Caio Borralho goes down this weekend in the main event of UFC Vegas 96.
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