Sean Strickland, never shy with his words, took to Twitter to call out training partner Caio Borralho for a critical error before UFC 319. The former UFC middleweight champion labeled Borralho “useless” in training camp after he cut weight twice—once as a backup fighter for UFC 319 and again for his UFC Paris main event. His pointed comments, posted after Borralho’s loss on September 6, 2025, stirred discussion about the risks of mismanaged fight preparation.
Strickland wrote:
“Caio is my buddy, but he’s an idiot. He trained with us and was useless. Me: What’s wrong with you? Caio: I’m cutting, I’m an alternate. So you’re giving up four weeks of your camp cutting weight twice while having a fight coming up? Whoever told you to do that, please hit him.”
Caio is my buddy but hes an idiot. He trained with us and was useless.
Me “whats wrong with you”
Caio “Im cutting, im an alternate”So you’re giving up 4 weeks of your camp cutting weight twice while having a fight coming up?
Whoever told you to do that, please hit him
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) September 7, 2025
How the Weight Cut Derailed UFC Paris
Borralho acted as an alternate for a middleweight bout at UFC 319 in late August 2025 while preparing to face Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris on September 6, 2025. Cutting to the middleweight limit of 185 pounds twice in a short period left him exhausted, according to Strickland.
“It was so frustrating I wanted to hit him,” Strickland told fans on Twitter. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted to keep his spirits up, but he really took some bad advice from someone.”
It was so frustrating I wanted to hit him.. I didnt say anything because I wanted to keep his spirits up but he really took some bad advice from someone. That fight wasnt him. It was missing 4 weeks of training cutting weight twice
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) September 7, 2025
Borralho’s unanimous decision loss to Imavov ended his 14-fight win streak. Strickland tied the lackluster performance to the weight cuts, saying:
“That fight wasn’t him. It was missing four weeks of training cutting weight twice.” He added, “What do you think happens when you kill your body so much in such a short period of time? Exactly that.”
What do you think happens when you kill your body so much in such a short period of time? Exactly that
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) September 7, 2025
Caio Borralho earned a UFC contract in 2021 through Dana White’s Contender Series. With a 17-2 record and 1 no-contest, including 7-1 in the UFC, he built a seven-fight UFC win streak, highlighted by a knockout of Paul Craig at UFC 301 in 2024. His loss to Imavov at UFC Paris marked his first UFC defeat.
Weight-cutting struggles have long troubled MMA. In 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s extreme cut to 155 pounds for UFC 223 raised health concerns. In 2022, Charles Oliveira missed weight by half a pound at UFC 274, leading to him being stripped of the lightweight title. At UFC 319, Bryan Battle was released after missing weight, later calling it a wake-up call. Borralho’s weight-cut misstep adds to this ongoing issue, showing how even top fighters can falter.
