Streaking middleweight standout Caio Borralho stepped into the main event spotlight at UFC Vegas 96 on Saturday night ready to punch his ticket to the division’s top five.
Standing in his way was one-time title challenger Jared Cannonier who made his 18th walk to the Octagon determined to hang onto his spot as the fifth-ranked contender in the talent-rich 185-pound weight class.
Round 1
Borralho comes out in a karate stance and strikes first with a stiff jab. Cannonier fires back with a couple of calf kicks. 90 seconds into the fight, Borralho accidentally pokes Cannonier in the eye bringing a brief stop to the bout. The fight resumes after a couple of minutes and Borralho opens things up with a high kick. Cannonier tries to get his jab going, but Borralho attacks the lead leg of Cannonier, taking him off balance both times.
Borralho goes high with a heavy head kick that Cannonier blocks. Cannonier swings big and misses. Borralho lands with a solid jab. Cannonier is allowing Borralho to control the action as we reach the final minute of the round. Borralho goes for a flying knee that partially connects up the middle. Cannonier comes back with a clubbing left hook. Cannonier begins to stalk forward and throws a quick two-punch combo against the fence moments before the horn sounds.
Round 2
Cannonier goes right back to pressuring and throws a looping right. Cannonier presses Borralho against the fence and fires off an onslaught of strikes as Borralho circles away from the danger. Cannonier fires a right hook and Borralho goes back to the lead leg attack. Borralho goes high with a head kick. Cannonier swoops in with a combination against the cage. Borralho throws a flying knee up the middle but just misses. A heavy exchange in the center makes it appear as though Borralho is wobbling, but the commentators suggest that he was just rubbing his feet on the mat.
A replay later reveals that there was a clash of heads during their exchange. Borralho is looking a little rough as Cannonier’s confidence continues to grow. Borralho throws a jab and Cannonier responds with a two-punch combo. Cannonier throws a leg kick and Borralho makes him pay with two right back. Cannonier ducks in with a right hand followed by a couple of quick lefts. Cannonier connects with another left and Borralho throws another high kick as the round comes to an end.
Round 3
Cannonier lands a big check right hook out of the gate. Borralho lands a kick to the body during an exchange and Cannonier lands a straight right that briefly buckles Borralho. The pace of Borralho appears to be slowing as he’s mostly abandoned the leg kicks that worked so well for him in the first round. Borralho throws a knee up the middle and follows it up with a jab. Borralho goes low and Cannonier swings big on the counter but is just out of range.
Cannonier continues to land some thudding shots as the fighters stand in the center of the Octagon and trade. Borralho manages to take control of the Octagon and is finding some success while moving forward. Cannonier closes the distance and clinches up momentarily, but opts to separate rather than going for the takedown. Borralho’s pace is beginning to pick up and he connects with a big one-two that his Cannonier retreating. Cannonier attempts to punch his way out of danger as Borralho stalks.
Cannonier makes it out of the round after nearly finding himself on the wrong side of a finish.
Round 4
Borralho opens the round with a jab and throws a spin kick that misses the mark. Borralho attacks the lead leg of Cannonier. Borralho steps in, but eats a right hand. Borralho lands a right of his own but eats a calf kick in exchange. Borralho lands a nice jab. Cannonier stalks forward and looks to land a right hand, but Borralho dodges the danger. Once we hit the halfway point, it appears that Cannonier is the busier fighter.
Cannonier lands a three-punch combo as Borralho attempts to score on a one-two. Borralho is sporting a nasty cut below his right eye. Borralho jabs as we approach the final minute of the fourth. Borralho circles around, but Cannonier lands a right hand during his exit. Borralho scores with a sneaky right hand and threatens a spinning attack as the penultimate round ends.
Round 5
With the fight potentially 2-2, both corners encourage their fighters to go for the finish in the fifth. Cannonier goes for the first takedown of the fight, but Borralho easily fends it off. Both fighters are slipping and ripping in the center of the Octagon. Borralho lands low with the lead leg attack. Borralho is the busier fighter thus far. Cannonier throws a two-punch combo but eats a well-timed counter right hand from Borralho.
Borralho lands again with the right hand as we hit the halfway point. Borralho knocks out Cannonier’s mouthpiece for the umpteenth time. Borralho lands a quick one-two with less than two minutes left and Cannonier is compromised. Cannonier hits the mat and Borralho goes to the ground looking to land some ground and pound. Cannonier survives the onslaught. Borralho cinches in an arm triangle but is unable to get the proper positioning against the fence. Cannonier flashes the thumbs up, but he looks to be in bad shape.
Unable to get the tap, Borralho relinquishes the hold and is content to let the clock run out confident that he won both the round and the fight.
Official Result: Caio Borralho def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46)
Check out highlights from Caio Borralho vs. Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96:
Jared Cannonier vs Caio Borralho is up next. 👀🍿
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 25, 2024
Catch the #UFCVegas96 main event on Sportsnet 360. pic.twitter.com/4l1geHzWli
https://x.com/MMASharke1/status/1827574405469262018
Caio Borralho had Jared Cannonier hurt bad. 😬#MMA #UFC #UFCVegas96 pic.twitter.com/FSikvELeZ6
— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) August 25, 2024
CAIO BORRALHO DROPS JARED CANNONIER BAD IN THE FIFTH! 😬😬😳😳😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥#MMA #UFC #UFCVegas96 pic.twitter.com/9BAfI1mB6f
— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) August 25, 2024
Win streak lives on 🔥@BorralhoCaio extends it to seven with the UD victory at #UFCVegas96! pic.twitter.com/kCpwPjZ6iL
— UFC (@ufc) August 25, 2024
