Caio Borralho Targets UFC 334 Return in New York
Caio Borralho has circled a date and a city for his return. Now he just needs a name.
The No. 6-ranked middleweight in the Meta UFC Rankings is back in full training and pushing hard for a spot on UFC 334, set for November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. After an injury forced him out of a key clash with Joe Pyfer at UFC 330, the Brazilian contender is trying to turn frustration into momentum.
“I think I’m around 90 to 95 percent, but I’m full training right now,” Borralho told MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz. “I’m doing everything, doing grappling, wrestling, striking and everything. I think a day for me to start a camp will be like in three, four weeks, and I want to fight in MSG, so this is the perfect date for me.”
For a fighter on the brink of the elite, the timing matters. So does the platform. Madison Square Garden, November, a stacked pay-per-view card — that’s the stage Borralho wants for the next step in a quietly surging run at 185 pounds.
Unfinished business with Joe Pyfer
The cancelled matchup with Pyfer still lingers.
Borralho had to withdraw and undergo surgery, scrapping what was shaping up as a pivotal fight in the division. The disappointment hasn’t faded, and if the promotion is willing, he’s happy to revisit it.
“I think it was a great match-up against Joe Pyfer, he was one of the top guys in the world,” Borralho said. “I think it will be a great fight with him. I think we’re going to do this fight sooner or later, but I needed to pull out and do surgery and all this stuff. But I feel ready already. I feel that I’m getting the best shape of my life right now.”
The message is clear: the door didn’t close on Pyfer. It just got slammed by bad timing. Now, with his body healing and his confidence intact, Borralho wants the kind of opponent that keeps him on a direct path to the belt.
One or two wins from the summit
Since arriving in the UFC in 2022, Borralho has quietly built one of the strongest résumés in the division. He sits at 8-1 in the promotion, with notable wins over Jared Cannonier, Reinier de Ridder, and Abus Magomdov. His only setback came against top contender Nassourdine Imavov, who is in the mix for a title shot against reigning champion Sean Strickland.
That context shapes how Borralho sees his next move.
“I’m just waiting for the UFC to give him a name and then we’re going to accept right away, doesn’t matter who,” he said. “I just need to make sense for me, for the company, and for the division. I had like seven straight wins and then I lost. Now I have a good win against de Ridder, that did very good last weekend (against Roman Dolidze). I think one or two more on the way to the belt. I’m just waiting for the name.”
He isn’t asking for a tune-up. He’s asking for a eliminator-in-disguise.
On paper, the path is obvious. The rankings place him just behind Joe Pyfer and Brendan Allen, two names that tick every box: competitive, relevant, and meaningful for the title picture. Borralho vs. Pyfer would revive a matchup the division already circled once. Borralho vs. Allen would be a fresh, high-level test with clear stakes.
The middleweight landscape is shifting quickly at the top, but beneath the title talk, fighters like Borralho are closing in. Healthy again, eyeing Madison Square Garden, and convinced he’s in the best shape of his life, he’s waiting for one thing.
A phone call, a name, and a fight that proves he really is just “one or two more on the way to the belt.”
