Caio Borralho remains in the middleweight title picture and is looking for former champion Dricus Du Plessis next, following his win over Reinier de Ridder in the UFC 326 co-main event.
Borralho connected with a strong shot in the opening seconds of the bout, setting off a competitive first round. Both men had their fair share of striking, but Borralho had more activity and landed more.
De Ridder found success in the second round, utilizing the clinch and his grappling efforts to limit Borralho's offense while landing inside strikes of his own. Borralho finally seemed to get back control at the start of the third, landing a power shot and scoring a takedown.
Borralho fatigued late in the fight, but he did enough to sweep the judges' cards and earn the win.
Caio Borralho Scores Decision Win In Middleweight Co-Main Event At UFC 326
Borralho rebounds from his UFC Paris loss to Nassourdine Imavov in September, which marked his first loss in the Octagon.
After starting his UFC tenure 4-0, including a win over former champion Robert Whittaker, de Ridder, the former two-weight ONE Championship champion, has now lost two straight. He was bested by Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver in October.