UFC’s Caio Borralho reveals why Israel Adesanya fight didn’t materialize

Caio Borralho didn’t get his wish of fighting former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

Streaking contender Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) told MMA Junkie this past October that was in discussions to face Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) next. However, Adesanya wound up getting booked against Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) Feb. 1 in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A disappointed Borralho explained what he thinks happened.

“I think the UFC offered Izzy two fights: me or Imavov,” Borralho said on the “Overdogs Podcast.” “And then, he suddenly posted a clip studying Imavov’s tape, and I was like, ‘Come on, bro.’ I sent a message to Izzy, and was like, ‘Bro, why you choosing that?’

“He was like, ‘Bro, we’re going to fight next year. We’re going to dance next year for the belt.’ It’s OK, I respect you if you choose that. I think he chose right. I think Imavov is a better fight for him, and I think Izzy is the favorite in this fight.”

Borralho thinks Adesanya’s main advantage comes in his experience of fighting championship rounds on numerous occasions. Imavov has been booked in three five-round UFC main events – a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland, a majority decision win over Roman Dolidze, and a fourth-round TKO finish of Jared Cannonier.

“Imavov, I think he’s good and all that, but I don’t think he has the cardio for five rounds,” Borralho said. “I don’t think he has the best mentality for five rounds. He gets frustrated a lot into the fight, and he fought a three-round fight with Brendan Allen in Paris and it was like a boring fight.

“They were tired since the first round, and I think if he does the same thing with Izzy, Izzy is going to pick him apart. I think he’s good at fighting guys that are shorter than him. I don’t think he’s good when he’s fighting guys who are taller than him.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.