Caio Borralho traveled to South Africa to challenge middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who responded by inviting the Brazilian to spar at his gym and post the footage. The exchange became heated, with Borralho telling Du Plessis to "stop acting like a child" and sign a contract, while Du Plessis questioned why Borralho's name would be in any negotiations and challenged him to show courage by actually coming to the gym. Meanwhile, multiple insiders have reported that a bout between Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is being developed. Separately, Shavkat Rakhmonov posted rehabilitation footage that concerned fans, as he appeared far from fighting condition after not competing for over eighteen months.
Caio Borralho made a trip to South Africa to confront middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis directly, and the two fighters' public back-and-forth has since escalated into a full-blown social media feud.
Du Plessis, 32, holds a 23-3-0 record and sits ranked second at middleweight — and seventh on the pound-for-pound list — while operating out of Team CIT in his home country. The South African switch-stance fighter is one of the more active offensive champions in the division, averaging 5.18 significant strikes per minute and mixing in 2.22 takedown attempts per fifteen minutes to keep opponents guessing at range and on the mat.
Borralho, 33, made the journey with contract pressure in mind. The Brazilian holds an 18-2-0 record and is ranked fourth at middleweight, training out of The Fighting Nerds camp. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, "The Natural" averages 3.44 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy, blending clean volume with a consistent grappling threat.
Du Plessis responded to the visit by inviting Borralho to actually come spar at his gym and post the footage — a public call for proof of commitment. Borralho fired back, telling the champion to stop acting like a child and simply sign a contract. Du Plessis countered by questioning why Borralho's name would appear in any title negotiations at all, challenging him to demonstrate real courage by showing up to the gym.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis is simultaneously being linked by multiple insiders to a developing bout with Kamaru Usman, which could push Borralho's title ambitions further down the queue.
- Borralho's ranking of fourth makes him a legitimate contender, but without a signed fight the public confrontation risks becoming noise rather than leverage.
- Meanwhile, ranked third at welterweight, Shavkat Rakhmonov posted rehabilitation footage that drew concern from fans — the unbeaten Kazakh has not competed in over eighteen months, adding uncertainty to the 185-pound division's broader landscape should any matchmaking plans shift.
