UFC Fight Night Prediction – Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho: Fight Card, Odds, Start Time, Live Stream

Jared Cannonier defends his place in the UFC's middleweight elite against rising challenger Caio Borralho. The main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas will see old and new meet in the 185-pound class.

Cannonier (17-7) seeks revenge for what he an early demolition defeat against another young middleweight prospect, Nassourdine Imavov. Cannonier was ahead on two judges' scorecards in round 4 before he was badly shaken. Cannonier fled under a barrage of punches, but some say he defended himself competently when referee Jason Herzog intervened. Cannonier still believes the fight ended prematurely. A rematch against Imavov is not on the table and he couldn't commit to a short-notice fight against Kevin Holland, but an offer to fight Borralho on five weeks' notice satisfied his appetite for competition.

“I didn't want a long break and Nassourdine was already under warning, so I thought the idea of ​​a rematch was gone with the wind,” Cannonier told CBS Sports. “I'm not trying to sit around and wait. If they give me a name, I'll say yes. I'll fight anyone I like. It's nice to fight without the pressure of having the best guys to go for the title.

“I'm still trying to win the title. I'm still going to be champion. But the closer I got, the more pressure I put on myself. That's not there anymore. I'm not saying I don't want that feeling, I want to win the title, but looking back I can see that it's a stress reliever.”

Borralho (16-1) is a founding member of the Fighting Nerds team and is making waves in the UFC. Contender Series alums Borralho, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates have a combined 7-0 record in the UFC this year and are undefeated in their last 37 fights together. It's fitting that their leader, Borralho, is on the verge of breaking into the top five in the UFC's official middleweight rankings. Borralho capitalized on a big knockout win over Paul Craig to set up a relatively short-notice main event. The bright fighter studied industrial chemistry at university before devoting himself full-time to mixed martial arts, and brought an analytical and academic approach to the sport.

“It's almost like I see things with numbers and statistics,” Borralho told CBS Sports. “I put that into the fight. I like to look at things that way. It's better for my brain. I figure things out quicker and remember things quicker. It's like hardware. I put everything there and pick out the information I need when the time comes.”

“My movements, the way I move my feet in the Octagon and my age will benefit me. He's 40 now. He's not the same guy when he was 35 or 36 fighting Anderson Silva or fighting for the title. His body definitely doesn't feel the same as it used to. He slowed down in the second round of the Imavov fight. “That's when he got sloppy and made mistakes. Those are the weak points I need to target.”

Watch the full interview with Caio Borralho below.

Saturday's Fight Night is solid, especially compared to the abysmal Marcin Tybura vs. Sergei Spivac fight on August 10. Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert is a great opener for the main card, and undefeated 16-0 fighter Michael Morales looks for his biggest win yet against Neil Magny. In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night, Tabatha Ricci looks to up her game against veteran Angela Hill.

Below you'll find the rest of Saturday's fight card with the latest odds before we make a prediction and pick the main event.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

Information about viewing UFC Fight Night

Date: 24 August | Start time: 10:00 p.m. ET (Main Card)
Location: UFC Apex – Las Vegas
TV channels: ESPN+

forecast

Jared Cannonier vs Caio Borralho: Don't expect a quick finish here. Cannonier and Borralho are durable, defensively strong fighters. Cannonier's tremendous power hasn't always helped him recently, but he's gone the full 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. The key differentiator is Borralho's superior grappling. Borralho will need to incorporate takedowns to keep his opponent guessing. A varied strategy gives Borralho multiple avenues to win and overwhelms Cannonier's defensive considerations. The biggest X-factor is Borralho's lack of elite opponents. Going from middleweight Paul Craig to Cannonier is a significant challenge. But I see more potential in Borralho than I did in Imavov. That gives me enough confidence to put him by late stoppage or decision. Borralho by unanimous decision