UFC Fight Night prediction – Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho: Fight card, odds, start time, live stream

Jared Cannonier retained his spot in the UFC middleweight elite against rising contender Caio Borralho. The main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Saturday will feature a battle between old and new at 185 pounds.

Cannonier (17-7) wants revenge after what he deemed Loss from early stopping For the other young middleweight contender, Nassourdin Imavov. Cannonier was ahead on two judges’ scorecards going into Round 4, but appeared badly shaken. Cannonier dodged a number of strikes, but some argue he was able to defend himself when referee Jason Herzog intervened. Cannonier still feels the fight ended prematurely. A rematch with Imavov is unlikely and he may not be able to commit to a return against Kevin Holland on short notice, but the offer to fight Borralho on five weeks’ notice quenched his desire to compete.

“I didn’t want to rest too long and Nassourdin was already booked, so I thought the idea of ​​a rematch was out of the question,” Cannonier told CBS Sports. “I don’t want to sit and wait. If they call me a name, I’ll say yes. I’ll fight anybody. It’s nice to fight without the pressure of having to get the top guys in so you can win the title.

“I’m still trying to win the title. I still want to be the champion. But as I got closer, I started putting pressure on myself. That’s not the case anymore. It’s not that I don’t get that feeling, I want to win the title, but I can look back and see that it’s a stress-reducing factor.”

Borralho (16-1) is a founding member of the Fighting Nerds team that is making waves in the UFC. “Contender Series” graduates Borralho, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates are a combined 7-0 in the UFC this year and undefeated in their last 37 combined bouts. It’s fitting that their leader Borralho is on the verge of a top-five spot in the UFC’s official middleweight rankings. Borralho turned a big knockout win over Paul Craig into a main event spot in a relatively short time. This talented fighter studied industrial chemistry in college before fully committing to mixed martial arts, bringing an analytical and academic approach to the fight game.

“It’s almost like I look at things with numbers and statistics,” Borralho told CBS Sports. “I keep it inside the fight. I like to look at things that way. It’s better for my brain. I grasp things and remember them quicker. It’s like hardware. I keep everything there and pick out the information I need when the time comes.

“My movement, how I move my feet inside the Octagon, and my age will benefit me. He’s 40 years old now. He’s not the same as he was fighting Anderson Silva or fighting for titles at 35 or 36. His body definitely doesn’t feel the same anymore. He started to slow down in the second round of the fight with Imavov. “That’s when he started to get careless and make mistakes. I have to target those holes.”

Watch the full interview with Caio Borralho below.

Saturday’s Fight Night is solid, especially compared to the Marcin Tybura vs. Sergey Spivac card on August 10. Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert is a fantastic main card opener and undefeated 16-0 fighter Michael Morales looks for his biggest win to date against Neil Magny. The co-main event of UFC Fight Night will see Tabatha Ricci trying to improve her game against veteran Angela Hill.

Below is the remaining fight card for Saturday, including the latest odds, before we make our predictions and picks for the main event.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

UFC Fight Night viewing information

date: 24th August | Start time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Place: UFC Apex – Las Vegas
TV Channels: ESPN+

Prediction

Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho: Don’t expect a quick finish here. Cannonier and Borralho are durable, defensively sound fighters. Cannonier’s wicked power hasn’t helped him consistently lately, but he has gone the distance with former middleweight champions Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker. The 40-year-old Cannonier will need that experience against an opponent nine years younger than him. The most important separator is Borralho’s excellent grappling. Borralho must mix in takedowns to keep his opponent guessing. A varied strategy gives Borralho multiple paths to victory and eliminates Cannonier’s defensive considerations. The biggest X factor is Borralho’s lack of elite opponents. The jump from middleweight Paul Craig to Cannonier is a significant challenge. But I see more potential in Borralho than in Imavov Borralho via unanimous decision