Pros react after Caio Borralho defeats Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 96 event was headlined by a highly anticipated middleweight bout between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho.

Cannonier (17-8 MMA) had entered the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in his most previous effort at June’s UFC Louisville event. That setback had snapped a two-fight winning streak for ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’, who had previously earned wins over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland respectively.

Meanwhile, Caio Borralho (17-1 MMA) was looking to extend his current win streak to sixteen in a row this evening in Las Vegas. ‘The Natural’ was most previously seen in action this past May at UFC 301, where he scored a second-round knockout victory over Paul Craig (see that here). The 31-year-old Brazilian had gone 6-0 since joining the UFC ranks ahead of tonight’s affair.

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 96 main event proved to be a coming out party for Caio Borralho. ‘The Natural’ was able to hurt Jared Cannonier on a number of occasions during their twenty-five-minute contest, even dropping ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ in the fifth and final round (see that here). Despite the onslaught, Jared Cannonier showed his toughness and durability as he was able to survive to hear the final horn.

Official UFC Vegas 96 Results: Caio Borralho def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (49-45 x2, 48-46)

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Cannonier vs. Borralho’ below:

Let’s go Jared! Represent Az!#UFCVegas96

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

I feel like Cannonier gets poked in the eye in every fight.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 25, 2024

Caio looking calculated in round one. 10-9 #UFCVegas96

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) August 25, 2024

Borralho distance control and fakes are making Jared Cannonier very hesitant. Round one Borralho

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Jared needs to press the technical fighter

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

19-19 going into round 3 #UFCVegas96

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Seems like a pretty clear 2-1 Caio #UFCVegas96

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) August 25, 2024

Borralho smelling blood! Jared needs to recover still. Stake part of the round off. Borralho 2-1

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Pressure seems to be success for both guys. The fighter who presses more is more likely going to win this fight. What a fight!

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Jared seems to be not using the left hand as much in this fourth round. #UFCVegas96

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) August 25, 2024

Fourth round could be a swing round. We might be looking for 2-2

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Cannonier needs a new mouthpiece. @ImpactDentalDe1 to the rescue!

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) August 25, 2024

Post-fight reactions to Caio Borralho defeating Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96:

Caio is here to stay! #UFCVegas96

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) August 25, 2024

Fighting nerds man 👏👏👏

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) August 25, 2024

Great fight! We have a new title challenger in the middle weight division! He’s got it all!

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 25, 2024

Who would you like to see Caio Borralho fight next following his unanimous decision victory over Jared Cannonier this evening in Las Vegas?