Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder at UFC 326: What you need to know

The UFC recently announced a matchup at UFC 326 between Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder. Here's what you need to know ahead of the fight

Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder

• Records: Borralho (17-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC), de Ridder (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC)
• Division: Middleweight
• Rankings: Borralho No. 9, de Ridder No. 10 (MMA Junkie); Borralho No. 7, de Ridder No. 8 (UFC) 

What's at stake for Borralho

The Brazilian, who leads the famed Fighting Nerds team, will be 33 at the time of the fight and will be trying to rebound from the first loss of his UFC career. In September, he lost a decision to Nassourdine Imavov in a main event in Paris. Prior to that, he had gone more than 10 years without a loss, so he’s in a position he hasn’t been in for a long time.  

What's at stake for de Ridder

The 35-year-old Dutchman was a two-division titleholder for ONE Championship before he came to the UFC, where he put away Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal in his first six months in the promotion. Then he beat ex-champ Robert Whittaker to get a title eliminator-type fight with Anthony Hernandez in October. When Hernandez couldn’t make it, Brendan Allen stepped in and pulled off an upset to kick RDR back down the ladder.  

Statistically speaking

Borralho has nine of his 17 wins by stoppage with five knockouts and four submissions. He needed two wins on DWCS to get his UFC invite. Before his loss to Imavov, he had post-fight bonuses in three of his previous four fights. De Ridder has 18 of his 21 wins by stoppage, including a full two-thirds – 14 wins – by submission. 

Make your early pick

Screening room

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder, UFC 326: What you need to know