Borralho Controls Belgaroui to Unanimous Win at UFC 334
A wrestling-heavy game plan that neutralized Belgaroui’s striking should boost Borralho’s standing in the middleweight title picture.
Overview
- Caio Borralho defeated Yousri Belgaroui by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in the UFC 334 main card.
- Borralho set the pace with repeated takedowns, locked body triangles, hunted guillotine and rear-naked choke positions, and used prolonged top control to keep Belgaroui from settling into his kickboxing.
- Pre-fight coverage predicted a close matchup and FanDuel listings showed public money moving the line to Borralho (-158) from an early Belgaroui edge, but the result was a clear judges’ sweep.
- Borralho entered the bout at 18-2 with recent momentum from a March decision over Reinier de Ridder and the win now strengthens his case for higher-profile middleweight matchups.
- Belgaroui came in 11-3 and 3-0 in the UFC with stoppage wins, and his loss here raises questions about how his striking will fare against elite wrestlers while setting up potential stylistic rematches to watch next.