Caio Borralho traveled to South Africa to call out Dricus Du Plessis, but the middleweight champion responded by inviting him to his gym for sparring sessions. Du Plessis offered to let Borralho film and post the sparring footage. When Borralho asked him to sign a contract instead, Du Plessis questioned why Borralho thinks his name is even part of any negotiations and challenged him to come to the gym, which is only 30 minutes away. Meanwhile, a couple of insiders reported that a Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman fight is being developed. The post also mentions Shavkat Rakhmonov frightening fans with rehabilitation footage showing him far from fighting condition after over 18 months out of the cage.
Caio Borralho took his title ambitions on the road, traveling to South Africa to publicly call out middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis — only for Du Plessis to flip the script and invite him into the gym for a sparring session instead.
Borralho, 33, carries an 18-2 record and sits fourth in the middleweight rankings. Fighting out of Brazil with The Fighting Nerds, the southpaw known as "The Natural" lands 3.44 significant strikes per minute at a sharp 56 percent accuracy rate, and has established himself as one of the division's most consistent risers over the past two years.
Du Plessis, 32, holds the middleweight title and a 23-3 record, currently ranked second pound-for-pound in the sport. The South African operates out of a switch stance and generates volume at 5.18 significant strikes per minute, while also threatening on the ground with 2.22 takedowns per fifteen minutes. When Borralho arrived in his country looking for a confrontation, Du Plessis responded by offering him sparring access and even extended the invitation to film and post the footage. Borralho countered by asking Du Plessis to sign a contract, to which the champion reportedly questioned why Borralho assumes his name is part of any current title negotiations — and reiterated that his gym is only thirty minutes away.
That exchange takes on added weight given reports from a couple of insiders that a Du Plessis versus Kamaru Usman fight is being developed. Usman, 39, holds a 21-4 record and is ranked eighth at welterweight, though the reported matchup would presumably take place at middleweight.
Why it matters
- Borralho is the fourth-ranked middleweight and a credible contender, but Du Plessis publicly dismissed him as outside the current title conversation.
- Insider reports linking Du Plessis to a fight with Usman suggest Borralho may need to wait behind a high-profile opponent to secure his shot.
- Separately, Shavkat Rakhmonov has raised concern among fans after rehabilitation footage surfaced showing him well short of fighting shape following more than eighteen months away from competition, which could further reshape the division's contender picture.
