DWCS 44 winner Caio Borralho on how second opportunity for UFC deal came about
Second time was the charm for Caio Borralho, who needed two stints on Dana White's Contender Series to earn a UFC contract.
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LAS VEGAS – Second time was the charm for Caio Borralho, who needed two stints on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract.
Borralho (10-1) defeated Aaron Jeffrey by unanimous decision just two weeks ago at Dana White’s Contender Series 41, but it wasn’t enough to secure him a deal. But the opportunity to compete in front of the UFC brass again came a lot sooner than he expected, and the Brazilian made sure his performance left no doubt that he belonged.
Borralho moved up from middleweight to light heavyweight and scored a first-round finish of Jesse Murray at Dana White’s Contender Series 44 on Tuesday, earning two wins in just three weeks, as well as a UFC contract.
“It was two days after my fight,” Borralho said during the DWCS 44 post-fight news conference. “So I won the fight, but I didn’t get the contract as you guys saw and then Mick (Maynard) told my manager that I could go back to Brazil and fight some regionals and maybe come back, or I could stay in town and get a short-notice, but on Thursday, two days after my fight, they offered me the light heavyweight fight, so I accepted right away because I know the UFC is the place I’m meant to be. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid and, man, I’m so happy.”
He continued, “I fought the first time, I was like so happy and then Dana said he wasn’t interested, so I got time to think and to do what I do best, and that’s to finish fights. I’m here in the UFC to finish fights, so I came back, I got my sh*t together, and today was my day. Thank God for that.”
To see the full interview with Borralho, check out the video above.