Caio Borralho plans to knock out Paul Craig at UFC 301 and avenge his compatriots: ‘I love this fight’

Caio Borralho He has a lot of motivation for his sixth fight in the UFC.

The rising middleweight contender returns to the Octagon on Saturday against the veteran Paul Craig in the opening fight of the main card of the pay-per-view of UFC 301 at Farmasi Arena, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Borralho (15-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in addition to fighting in his country and against a ranked opponent, will also have the chance to get one for the team.

“I love this match because he’s ahead of me in the rankings, that’s all, and he beat great guys from Brazil, including the legend ‘Shogun’ Rua,” said Borralho MMA fight and other media at Wednesday’s UFC 301 media day. “It’s going to be incredible to test this guy and prove that I’m capable of fighting this guy and avenging all the Brazilians he fought.”

Craig (17-7-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) has defeated four Brazilians throughout his UFC career, including former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua, considered a Brazilian MMA legend.

Craig finished all four Brazilians he defeated, two via technical knockout and two via submission. Borralho wants to do the same to him and stop him within the three rounds.

“The mistake people make is trying to get rid of him, so they give him space to put his feet on his hips and do the techniques,” said Borralho when asked about the confrontation. “But when he’s on the ground, I need to put pressure on him. I need to keep pushing him all the time.

“If we go to the ground, because he’s going to pull guard, I’m not just going to try to get up. I’m going to pressure him, try to make him uncomfortable in his area, then I’m going to get rid of him, ask him to get up and knock him out. That’s my plan.”

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 301.

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie