3 possible next opponents for Caio Borralho after UFC Vegas 96 win

With two newly crowned The Ultimate Fighter winners and a massive showcase from No. 12 ranked Caio Borralho, the organization's future shined bright at UFC Vegas 96. Of all the great performances on the card, none seemed more impactful on a division than Borralho's, who presumably skyrocketed his way into the top five with his unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier. This being his first ranked opponent in the UFC, what is next for the now 17-1-0 middleweight after a major victory in his seventh promotional fight?

1. Marvin Vettori

Marvin Vettori is a possible next opponent for Borralho. Coming off a brutal loss to Cannonier in June 2023, Vettori has been sidelined for over a year dealing with fight cancelations and injuries. Though he lost to the opponent Borralho just defeated, it is an opportunity to fill a void in the middleweight division where multiple ranked options are already booked to fight in the near future. This gives both Borralho time to recover from any damage he took in his war with Cannonier, and Vettori time to heal up any nagging injuries he may be dealing with.

Vettori is not only a viable option because of his availability, but his name value as well. Though he is two years removed from his failed title shot against former champion Israel Adesanya, Vettori's name has been prevalent in the upper echelon of the division for quite some time. Having never lost two fights in a row, this fight may be the perfect opportunity for Vettori to reinsert himself into title contention with a win over the man who handily defeated one of Vettori's toughest fights to date in Cannonier.

This name value also provides Borralho the opportunity to further align himself with names like Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesnaya as one of the few fighters to defeat Cannonier and Vettori. It seems clear that the path to the middleweight title is paved with some of the highest level competition in almost any division. Adding another former title challengers to a resume always provides a bit of a boost to a fighters claim at competing for middleweight gold.

2. Loser of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Another option for Borralho is the loser of the highly anticipated matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker. It is abundantly clear that the winner of this fight will have a serious claim at being next in line for a title shot. With Dana White stating that Sean Strickland will be next to fight Dricus Du Plessis for the belt, Borralho will likely need at least one more high-profile victory to insert himself into championship contention. You don't get much more high profile than Chimaev or Whittaker.

Whether it is the former champion Whittaker or the fan-favorite Chimaev, taking the opportunity to compete against one of these massive middleweight names does more for Borralho than almost any other fight in the top ten rankings. Considering one of these fighters would be coming off a loss, there will be questions to answer about if they still belong in the title conversation. Borralho would either provide a springboard back into the mix or play spoiler to championship aspirations regardless of who the opponent is. Also taking into account that with only a single ranked win at the time of this article, securing another win would help silence fans that believe Borralho's win over a 40-year-old Cannonier shouldn't be enough to earn him a shot.

Borralho matches up extremely well with both Whittake and Chimaev. Regardless of who comes out on top, facing the loser of that fight would give Borralho the momentum heading into the bout as he continues to ride a seven-fight unbeaten streak within the UFC. His grappling ability would provide Chimaev a welcome challenge that he has not regularly faced in his run thus far in either the 170-pound or 185-pound weight classes. Though both options would present difficulty for Borralho on the ground, it would be a huge opportunity for him to showcase his ability against either fighter. With Whittaker holding a respectable 82 percent take-down defense and Chimaev having never been taken down in his UFC career, Borralho could seriously stake his claim as a threat to even the best grapplers at the top of the division with a win over either fighter.

3. Dricus Du Plessis

The final option for his next opponent would be a matchup with current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. After his victory at UFC Vegas 96, Borralho made sure to take advantage of his time on the mic and called out the champion. Though some fans may believe it is a bit early for title talks, there are a few factors that would not make this fight so outlandish. As of late, the UFC seems to be thinking outside the box with how they book their title challengers. Just this year #5 ranked Marlon Vera competed for a title against Sean O'Malley while there were multiple options with what some thought were stronger claims at the bantamweight champion. We can also look at the matchup between Alex Pereira and #8 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. in October of this year as another indication that rankings are not always the biggest guideline when it comes to booking a championship fight.

Timing for Du Plessis and Borralho may be the biggest factor in how they book their next fights. Du Plessis having competed at UFC 305 just one week before Borralho's match with Cannonier, it is likely we will see both men return to the Octagon relatively close to the same time. Though the champion Du Plessis is slated to take on Strickland in his next title defense, we all know things do not always happen according to plan. Injuries and illness are regular obstacles the UFC navigates when putting together a major headliner for a pay-per-view event. Being available and ready, or even having his own fight booked near Du Plessis' fight with Strickland, may prove itself to be the fastest way for Borralho to slide into a title shot if something were to cause either the champion or former champion to pull out of their upcoming rematch.