Borralho outgrapples Belgaroui by unanimous decision at UFC 334, calls for Imavov rematch

Caio Borralho earned a unanimous decision over Yousri Belgaroui at UFC 334, with all three judges scoring the middleweight contest 30-27 in the Brazilian’s favour. Borralho’s relentless grappling proved the decisive factor, as the kickboxer Belgaroui struggled to generate meaningful offence across the full three rounds.

Borralho opened the fight on the feet, landing a sharp left hand before Belgaroui responded with an effective body kick. The Brazilian quickly shifted to his grappling game, and although Belgaroui defended the first takedown attempt, Borralho’s persistence eventually dragged the fight to the mat. From there, Borralho locked on a body triangle from the back and hunted for submissions, coming close to securing a face crank before Belgaroui scrambled free.

The second round offered Belgaroui his clearest spell of the fight. Moving more freely on the feet, the kickboxer landed kicks and a solid knee to the body while denying Borralho the clinch work he needed. Borralho remained patient, however, and eventually forced the fight back to the ground, moving into side control to reassert his dominance.

By the third round, Belgaroui had no answer for Borralho’s takedown pressure. The Brazilian landed another trip to the mat and maintained control until the final horn, sealing a comfortable if unspectacular victory.

Speaking after the fight, Borralho was bullish about his ambitions. “I’m happy,” he said. “I came to this fight — there are levels in the game. This is my 10th fight in the UFC. It’s the belt hunt season. Get ready. I always call out Dricus — I’m not going to waste my time, so one thing I want is my rematch with Imavov. I’m ready, I’m connected. It could be Brandon Allen, but I want Imavov.”

The win keeps Borralho firmly in the middleweight title conversation as he pushes for a second meeting with Nassourdine Imavov, a fight he clearly views as his clearest route back toward a championship shot.