Caio Borralho starts bleeding mid-presser, shows off nasty cut suffered against Jared Cannonier: "It's a good scar to tell the history"

Rising star Caio Borralho suffered a scary cut under his right eye during his most recent fight, a grueling five-round showdown against former UFC middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. Borralho notably expressed his respect for Cannonier and addressed the cut.

'The Natural' faced veteran American fighter Cannonier in the headlining match of the UFC Vegas 96 event, which transpired at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Aug. 24, 2024. Borralho worked hard to eventually out-strike and out-grapple his opponent.

The 31-year-old Brazilian almost finished Cannonier after knocking him down and following up with ground strikes in round five. Nevertheless, his 40-year-old foe survived till the final bell. The judges' verdict was a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46) victory for Borralho.

During the UFC Vegas 96 post-fight press conference, Caio Borralho was bleeding from his face's right side. On multiple occasions, he wiped the blood off with a cloth. When asked about the cut, 'The Natural' pushed his sunglasses up, displayed it, and asked:

"How you guys think?"

Borralho laughed and added:

"It's a good cut. Good ... Sorry. It's a good scar to tell the history, and to show my kid it's that daddy work hard to fulfill your dreams to provide to the family. So, it's just story right now. It's all good, all good. Thanks, Jared."

Check out Borralho's comments below (4:51):

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Caio Borralho disagrees with blood-related combat sports hypothesis, eyes UFC title shot

Many fighters across the combat sports realm have suggested that seeing, smelling, and/or feeling an opponent or oneself bleeding triggers their fighting instincts and helps them perform better. During his UFC Vegas 96 post-fight press conference segment, a bleeding Caio Borralho disagreed with that theory.

'The Natural' subtly referenced his camp, The Fighting Nerds, and stated:

"I think this is just something that people made up, like, blood is blood. Like, for sure, when I felt it, I was like, 'I cannot take again that' cause it can be open more. So, I wouldn't be dumb enough to know like, 'Now I felt the blood, and now I'm going forward.' No. This is not my style. I'm very calculated guy, like a Fighting Nerd. So, I think this is just something that fighters made up to hide their fears [5:27-6:07]"

Boasting a professional MMA record of 17 wins, 1 loss, and 1 NC (No Contest), Caio Borralho is aiming for a shot at the UFC middleweight championship and wants to test himself against UFC middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis. Furthermore, Borralho indicated that even if he doesn't receive a title shot right away, he'll keep working his way to one and eventually become a champion.

Unbeaten in the UFC, Borralho underscored that he's willing to face whoever the organization matches him up against. He currently stands at the No. 12 in the official UFC middleweight rankings and will likely be catapulted up the rankings, as he's beaten the No. 5-ranked Cannonier.