Caio Borralho secured a unanimous decision victory over Reinier de Ridder in the middleweight co-main event at UFC 326 on March 8, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The win improves Borralho's UFC record to 8-1 and positions him closer to a title shot, while de Ridder suffers his second consecutive loss. UFC CEO Dana White and Borralho both noted de Ridder's apparent lack of motivation during fight week.
The bout between Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder highlighted UFC 326, drawing attention for its implications in the middleweight division. Borralho, ranked No. 9 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, entered with a 17-2 record and one no-contest, coming off a loss to Nassourdine Imavov that ended his 16-fight win streak. De Ridder, ranked No. 8 with a 21-3 record, had been upset by Brendan Allen after his original opponent Anthony Hernandez withdrew from UFC Vancouver.
In the first round, Borralho landed effective leg kicks and counters, stuffing an early takedown attempt by de Ridder. A brief pause occurred due to an accidental low blow. De Ridder secured a late takedown but inflicted minimal damage, with MMA Fighting scoring the round 10-9 for Borralho.
The second round saw de Ridder use jabs and clinch work to avoid Borralho's power punches, landing some counters. MMA Fighting scored it 10-9 for de Ridder, evening the fight at 19-19.
Borralho regained control in the third, taking de Ridder down and landing ground-and-pound before de Ridder stood. Both exchanged strikes in the final minutes, but Borralho's body work and a big right hand edged the round 10-9 in his favor, for an overall 29-28 scorecard.
Post-fight, UFC CEO Dana White commented on de Ridder's performance: “I don’t know, in my opinion he didn’t look like he really wanted to be in there tonight. That didn’t look like the same guy to me tonight.” Borralho echoed this, saying, “He felt my energy during the entire week, I think he didn’t want to be doing all the media stuff... he didn’t want to be there way before the fight.” Despite the observation, Borralho praised de Ridder: “The guy did very good. He took it like a man, and I respect him for that.”
In his interview with Joe Rogan, Borralho expressed confidence: “I wanted to KO this guy, but he’s so tall and awkward... It’s the comeback season, Joe Rogan, and no one is going to stop us Fighting Nerds to go to the f*cking belt, baby!” He called out champion Dricus du Plessis, stating, “I have one name on my mind: Dricus du Plessis, where are you, boy?” Borralho noted the strange vibe during fight week but emphasized his respect, adding that de Ridder showed up as his best self in the octagon.
