Caio Borralho has recently revealed that he was severely compromised heading into his last Octagon appearance.
Borralho last competed at UFC 326 in March, where he secured a convincing unanimous decision victory over Reinier De Ridder. He delivered a well-rounded performance, combining effective striking with sharp grappling defense to neutralize much of De Ridder’s offense.
“The Natural” steadily gained the upper hand as the fight progressed, outworking and outdamaging his opponent across all three rounds. His dominance was reflected on the scorecards, with all three judges awarding him a clean 30-27 decision.
The 33-year-old Brazilian was initially expected to return against rising contender Joe Pyfer at UFC 330 in August but was forced to withdraw due to a lingering rib injury that ultimately required surgery. Borralho has now revealed that he was dealing with the same issue during his clash with “RDR” at UFC 326, yet still managed to emerge victorious.
Caio Borralho Details Incredible Painful Ordeal Before UFC 326
During an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA, in association with Stake, Caio Borralho opened up about the rib injury that has plagued him for months. “The Natural” revealed that he suffered the fracture during training just two weeks before his UFC 326 showdown with Reinier De Ridder.
“I broke my rib two weeks before my fight with De Ridder,” Borralho said. “I fought with a totally broken rib. It was the craziest two weeks of my life – it was a mental war. It was down to myself whether I would make the fight, and thank God I managed to get past these two weeks and fight.”
The Stake ambassador further detailed that the injury turned out to be far more severe than initially expected. Despite allowing more than two months for the rib to heal naturally, Borralho continued to experience persistent pain. A subsequent MRI showed that the fracture had worsened rather than healed.
“The crazy thing about this injury, after the fight, I went to my doctor and he said we have to wait until it heals. I was waiting for 10 weeks and still had pain, so I went back to the doctor and we had an MRI. The results showed that it was separated even more after 10 weeks, and we had to have emergency surgery the next day. I had a titanium bracelet to keep the rib together so it would heal faster, and then it took a further 10/12 weeks. So that’s why I have had to wait.”
Borralho has now fully recovered from the injury and is set to return to action against Yousri Belgaroui on the main card of UFC 334, scheduled for November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“The Natural” boasts an 8-1 record in the UFC, having earned his contract with a first-round stoppage of Jesse Murray on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. Caio Borralho’s impressive seven-fight winning streak came to an end against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris in September 2025.
