Caio Borralho blasts UFC's official rankings system in passionate rant while calling for next fight booking: "Michael Chandler lost four in a row"

Caio Borralho is less than pleased with the UFC rankings, saying as much in his recent appearacne on The Ariel Helwani Show. First, he expressed his frustration over not having any fights booked, while highlighting how difficult it has been for him to sit and wait while Fighting Nerds teammates fight.

This caused Helwani to share his take on the situation, pointing out that it's easier to get matchups when one is ranked lower and still rising. However, once fighters crack the top 10, other fighters become more prone to avoiding certain matchups, behaving in a far more selective manner than before.

This, Helwani believes, is the reason behind the UFC's matchmaking woes. Borralho agreed, prompting him to blast the UFC rankings, saying:

"It's sh*t, bro. This thing is sh*t, bro. Michael Chandler lost four in a row. He's #12 still. There's Paulo Costa. He didn't fight for, like, two years already. He lost four of his last five fights. He's still in the rankings. This is crazy. These rankings are sh*t, bro. So, I'm out. I don't care about rankings. Give me a ranked guy, give me an up and coming contender, give me anyone, brother. I don't f*cking care because this ranking doesn't mean sh*t. You can see how desperate I am to fight, right?"

Check out Caio Borralho's thoughts on the UFC rankings (13:25):

Ironically, UFC CEO Dana White has also expressed disapproval over the rankings system, due in large part to his belief that Jon Jones should remain the #1 pound-for-pound fighter regardless of any other fighter's exploits. Though it is easier to understand Borralho's position.

Borralho hasn't fought since he defeated ex-middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96, which took place on Aug. 24, 2024. So, he is nearing close to a year away from the octagon despite being ranked #6 at middleweight.

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Caio Borralho was linked to a recent fight

Over the past few days, rumors of a matchup between Caio Borralho and his friend and former training partner Khamzat Chimaev became rampant. They stemmed from a report that Dricus du Plessis withdrew from a planned UFC 317 middleweight title defense against the Chechen.

Borralho was reportedly considered for a bout involving an interim title with Chimaev. However, the South African champion has since taken to social media to disprove all injury talk, claiming that he had never signed a bout agreement for UFC 317 in the first place.