Recovered Borralho targets UFC 334 return and top-10 fight after rib surgery

Caio Borralho has been cleared to return to full training after rib surgery ended his planned fight with Joe Pyfer at UFC 330, and the Brazilian middleweight is now targeting a spot on the UFC 334 card at Madison Square Garden on November 14.

“I think I’m around 90 to 95 percent, but I’m full training right now,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “I’m doing everything, doing grappling, wrestling, striking and everything. I think a day for me to start a camp will be like in three, four weeks, and I want to fight in MSG, so this is the perfect date for me.”

The injury was the first to sideline Borralho since he joined the UFC in 2021, and he described the withdrawal from the Pyfer bout as “a little bit frustrating.” He used the downtime to work on improvements to his game and, in his own words, “take care of my body.”

Borralho holds an 8-1 UFC record and is coming off a decision win over Reinier de Ridder in March — a rebound from his sole promotional loss to Nassourdine Imavov. He is open to rescheduling the Pyfer fight but is not fixated on it, saying he will accept any top-10 opponent the UFC puts in front of him.

“I just need to make sense for me, for the company, and for the division,” he said. “I had like seven straight wins and then I lost. Now I have a good win against de Ridder. I think one or two more on the way to the belt. I’m just waiting for the name.”

Pyfer has since raised his profile further by stopping former champion Israel Adesanya, extending his winning streak to four, which makes a potential rematch a compelling option for both men.

The middleweight title picture remains unsettled. Sean Strickland claimed the belt from Khamzat Chimaev in May via split decision — handing Chimaev the first loss of his MMA career — and Chimaev is pushing for an immediate rematch. Borralho said he was not surprised by the outcome, having trained with both fighters.

“I was surprised at how he stood up and strike with Strickland,” Borralho said of Chimaev. “I knew that he was going to shoot in the first round, I knew that he was going to take Strickland down, but I already trained with Strickland and he’s a hard guy to keep on the floor. And very good mentality when he’s on the bottom, to get up and not rush anything.”