Caio Borralho traveled to South Africa to challenge Dricus Du Plessis, who responded by inviting him to spar at his gym and post the footage. The exchange escalated with Borralho telling Du Plessis to sign a contract, while Du Plessis questioned why Borralho's name would be in any negotiations and challenged him to visit the gym, which is 30 minutes away. During this social media back-and-forth, multiple insiders reported that a bout between Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is in development. The post also notes that Shavkat Rakhmonov concerned fans with rehabilitation footage showing him far from fighting shape, having not competed in over 18 months.
Caio Borralho made his case in person, traveling to South Africa to call out middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis — and Du Plessis fired back with an invitation to settle things on the mats rather than social media, telling Borralho to come spar at his gym and post the footage for the world to see.
Borralho, ranked fourth in the middleweight division at 33 years old, carries an 18-2 record fighting out of The Fighting Nerds camp in Brazil. The southpaw stands six-foot-one with a 75-inch reach and lands 3.44 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy, while also threatening with 1.28 takedowns per 15 minutes. His callout of Du Plessis was direct: he told the South African to sign a contract.
Du Plessis, currently ranked second at middleweight and seventh pound-for-pound, holds a 23-3 record at 32 years of age. Fighting out of Team CIT in South Africa, the switch-stance striker is one of the division's busiest offensive weapons, landing 5.18 significant strikes per minute. He also mixes in 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a genuine two-way threat. He dismissed Borralho's positioning in any fight negotiations, questioning why his name would even appear in contract talks, before pointing out that his gym sits just 30 minutes away.
While that exchange played out publicly, multiple insiders reported that a matchup between Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is currently in development, pulling the conversation in a different direction entirely.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis at ranked second and Borralho at fourth would represent a high-stakes middleweight contender clash with title implications
- A Du Plessis vs. Usman matchup in development would take priority, leaving Borralho's pursuit in limbo
- Separately, unbeaten welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, ranked third at 31 years old and still perfect at 19-0, has drawn concern after rehabilitation footage circulated showing him well short of fighting condition, with the Kazakhstani having not competed in over 18 months
