Tomorrow on the main card of UFC Sao Paulo, we are going to see a middleweight showdown that promises to be entertaining. Brazil’s Caio Borralho (14-1) will look to remain unbeaten inside the octagon as he takes on Abus Magomedov (25-5-1).
Magomedov will be looking to bounce back after his loss to Sean Strickland back in July. When taking on the now middleweight champion, Magomedov had a sensational first round. However, he completely ran out of gas in the first round. Once the second round started, Strickland started to punish him.
Magomedov couldn’t even defend himself and Strickland went on to finish him. Prior to that, Magomedov had only fought one other time in the UFC stopping Dustin Stoltzfus in 19 seconds. If he wants to win this fight tomorrow, he needs to show that his gas tank has improved.
Borralho earned himself a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series by getting a first round TKO back in 2021. It was actually his second appearance on the Contender Series. Since making his UFC debut in April 2022, he’s gone a perfect 4-0. In his last fight, he scored his first finish by submitting Michal Oleksiejczuk.
UFC Sao Paulo Preview
There are a lot of things I’m watching out for in this fight. I want to see if Magomedov can show improved cardio at all. I think watching these two on the feet is going to be entertaining as long as Magomedov can keep up the pace. You should see him get the advantage on the feet in the first round.
However, as the fight goes on, I think you’ll see Borralho take over. Until I see improved cardio, I can’t pick Magomedov in a fight that I believe goes beyond the first round. By the third round at UFC Sao Paulo, I think Magomedov will be gassed leading to a Borralho takedown. From there, Borralho will get a choke and a third round submission win.
Prediction: Caio Borralho by Submission – Round 3