Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev have been catching all the attention as the ultimate UFC 319 clash hasn’t been any closer. But Caio Borralho also been able to steal some of the spotlight, thanks to him being the backup for the headliner. What’s more interesting is that the Brazilian actually took his rival Nassourdine Imavov’s spot, generating a whole world of tension between them.

As the prime middleweight contender locked in his next fight. He still dreams about a perfect UFC 319 title fight against Dricus du Plessis. Borralho told Helen Yee, “The perfect situation? It’s that I go there, make weight, and I fight Dricus. That’s the perfect situation for me, because I’ve been calling him out for so long. And I’d anyway prefer to fight him over Khamzat.” As for why the Brazilian wouldn’t prefer to fight Khamzat Chimaev for the title, he cited the friendly relationship between him and the undefeated phenom as the reason. 

The Natural’s  7-fight winning streak freight train is expected to meet Imavov at the UFC Paris main event on September 26. And the animosity between them has been at its peak, as they don’t miss any opportunity to shoot verbal arrows at each other. In an interview with Helen Yee, Borralho was asked about his OnlyFans account, which he used as the perfect premise to take another shot at Imavov. He said, “Imavov loves my OnlyFans. I guess he wants to see my d–. You know there’s no naked pics over there. It’s just like my lifestyle, training, and all that.” Well, that was a very strong reaction.

Well, with tensions rising between Imavov and the possibility of a middleweight title shot on the horizon, Borralho’s schedule is starting to look stacked. The man clearly doesn’t shy away from a proper scrap. However, there’s one fight he’d rather stay far away from—and that’s all because of friendship. Let’s dive into what that is.

Caio Borralho opens up about why UFC won’t benefit from the Sean Strickland fight  

Sean Strickland and Caio Borralho have been pretty vocal about their friendship. Borralho has spent time at Xtreme Couture, training alongside the former middleweight champion and Chris Curtis, eventually developing a brotherly bond with both. Mick Maynard, an integral part of Dana White’s War Room of matchmakers, actually pitched a fight between them. However, both fighters declined, and the Brazilian has explained why it wouldn’t have made sense. 

Borralho continued his interview with Helen Yee and said, “Cause it’d be a f–king boring fight. We already did 50 rounds together in the gym. And we know each other so well—how to play with each other. So, it definitely wouldn’t be a good fight for the UFC. Outside of that, we’re good friends. Sean’s a very nice guy. People don’t know that side of him. But I know this side of him.”

Well, it’s not the first time friendship has stood in the way of a banger matchup. For instance, Merab Dvalishvili chose to hold on to the No. 1 spot because his close friend Aljamain Sterling was the champ at the time. This situation feels pretty similar. But with Strickland now suspended for five months, that only makes things more complicated for any future matchup.

That being said, do you actually see Caio Borralho fighting Nassourdine Imavov first? Or do you think he might end up getting a title shot before that? Comment your thoughts down below!