Caio Borralho Aims for UFC 334 Return at Madison Square Garden

Caio Borralho has circled a date, a city, and a building. Now he just needs a name.

The No. 6-ranked middleweight in the Meta UFC Rankings wants back in the cage at UFC 334 on November 14, aiming for a return on one of the sport’s grandest stages: Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Brazilian was scheduled to face Joe Pyfer at UFC 330 in a key middleweight clash, only to be forced out by injury. The surgery and rehab that followed stalled his momentum, but not his ambition.

“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 who had quietly built one of the division’s most consistent runs, pulling out of the Pyfer bout stung. That matchup carried real weight at 185 pounds, a measuring-stick fight between two surging contenders.

Borralho hasn’t let it go.

“I think it was a great match-up against Joe Pyfer, he was one of the top guys in the world. I think it will be a great fight with him,” he said. “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.”

If the UFC wants to rebook Pyfer, Borralho is clearly on board. If not, he’s just as ready to look up the rankings.

A Run That’s Hard to Ignore

Since arriving in the UFC in 2022, Borralho has quietly put together the kind of résumé that forces matchmakers to pay attention. He sits at 8-1 in the promotion, with standout wins over Jared Cannonier, Reinier de Ridder, and Abus Magomdov.

The lone blemish: a loss to Nassourdine Imavov, a man many expect to be in line for a shot at current middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

That context shapes Borralho’s mindset now. He doesn’t see himself as a prospect anymore. He sees himself on the brink.

“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.”

The math is simple in his mind: one or two more wins, and he expects to be staring at a title shot.

Who’s Next?

The rankings paint a clear picture. The most logical options sit directly above him: Joe Pyfer or Brendan Allen. Both carry momentum, both offer high-stakes matchups, and both would move Borralho closer to the title conversation he’s chasing.

A rebooked Pyfer fight would tie up unfinished business and answer questions left hanging by his injury withdrawal. An Allen bout would be another clash of elite middleweights jockeying for position in a crowded queue.

Borralho doesn’t seem overly concerned which way the matchmakers lean. What matters is that he’s healthy, back in full training, and pushing to turn Madison Square Garden into the next major step in his climb.

If he gets the fight he wants at UFC 334 and delivers the performance he believes he has in him, the question won’t be whether Caio Borralho belongs among the contenders. It’ll be how quickly the UFC is willing to let him test the champion.