Being a member of the Fighting Nerds isn't just a gimmick, it's a way of life.
Led by rising middleweight contender Caio Borralho, the Fighting Nerds boasts some of the most exciting scrappers in the UFC today, including featherweight knockout artist Jean Silva, rising welterweight sensation Carlos Prates, and Mauricio Ruffy, who boasts a 3-0 record inside the Octagon.
But aside from their penchant for highlight-reel finishes on MMA's biggest stage, The Fighting Nerds' branding is best known by their signature lens-less black plastic glasses with tape over the nose.
While most of the Fighting Nerds athletes dawn the glasses as a symbol of their team affiliation, Borralho has worn glasses for much of his life.
I've had glasses since I was three years old," he told Helen Yee in a recent interview. "I just take them off to shower. It's part of me now.
Caio Borralho reveals the true purpose of the Fighting Nerds
As a former math tutor, Borralho chose to embrace his "nerdy" nature alongside team co-founder Pablo Sucupira as a way of inspiring kids who have been bullied or made to feel self-conscious about wearing glasses.
We are the nerds who like to fight," Borralho told ESPN in 2024. "The real point [of The Fighting Nerds] is to inspire people. There's a message for all the people who have been bullied around the world. Some kids wear glasses but don't like to because they feel they are ugly. Imagine [what it is like] to see the best fighters in the world kicking the sh*t out of people and are proud to wear their glasses?
Borralho and Silva will be back in action next month, with the former headlining the UFC's return to Paris on September 6 against Nassourdine Imavov. Mauricio Ruffy will also be on the card as he is scheduled to face Benoit Saint-Denis in a high-stakes lightweight bout.
A week later, Jean Silva will main event Noche UFC in San Antonio, Texas, squaring off with one-time featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes.
But before all that, Carlos Prates will look to bounce back from his first loss inside the Octagon when he meets Goeff Neal at UFC 319 on August 16.