UFC’s middleweight title picture may look quite different in the coming months as most of the key players in the division compete to enter — or re-enter — the conversation for a shot at the belt. One rising contender, Caio Borralho, sees major changes on the horizon.

Dricus du Plessis defends his title Saturday against two-time champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. Du Plessis is undefeated inside the octagon and recently claimed the belt from Sean Strickland, who dethroned Adesanya in 2023.

Strickland, ranked No. 2 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, is the sole top-ranked middleweight currently not booked. Robert Whittaker, No. 4, faces Khamzat Chimaev, No. 11, in the co-main event of UFC 308 on Oct. 26. UFC Paris, scheduled for Sept. 28, is headlined by Nassourdine Imavov (No. 5) vs. Brendan Allen (No. 9), while No. 7 Jared Cannonier battles the unranked Borralho in a five-round main event on Aug. 24.

Looking atop the mountain, Borralho foresees Adesanya dethroning du Plessis.

“I think Adesanya wins,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “It’s not a good matchup [for du Plessis]. Du Plessis walks forward and explodes with his attacks, while Adesanya moves more laterally. I don’t think Adesanya will fight that much in the first round and then he’ll start to connect. I think Adesanya wins by third-round knockout, or it’s a decision.”

“The division is all mixed up,” Borralho added. “I don’t know if Chimaev gets a title shot or anything like that if he wins against Whittaker, I don’t know if that would be fair. I think Brendan Allen is closer because he has the longest winning streak at middleweight today and he’s fighting Imavov in Paris. I think he’s definitely the next contender if he wins.”

Allen has won seven straight UFC bouts, including finishes of Paul Craig, Andre Muniz, and Bruno Silva prior to a recent split decision over Chris Curtis. Imavov, on the other hand, headlines a card with home field advantage after a controversial stoppage of Cannonier in his most recent appearance and a majority decision against Roman Dolidze earlier this year.

“Imavov is tricky and full of surprises,” Borralho said. “He throws elbows and knees out of nowhere. He’s tall and has a long reach, he’s kind of complete, but I think Brendan Allen is more solid and is having a good moment [in his career]. He has good jiu-jitsu. Imavov also has good jiu-jitsu, but Brendan Allen is better. And Brendan Allen does the basics well on the feet, he can secure some good takedowns, so I think he wins.”

Strickland was victorious via split decision in his most recent bout against Paulo Costa and said he would wait “as long as it takes” to get his shot at the gold, showing no interest in fighting Whittaker. On the hand, Whittaker is staying active by facing Chimaev, and Borralho is curious to see what happens in that five-round clash. Chimaev hasn’t fought since winning majority decision over late-notice replacement Kamaru Usman in October 2023, while Whittaker dismantled Ikram Aliskerov with a quick first-round knockout this past June.

“I think it’s a hard fight for Whittaker because he doesn’t know what to expect from Chimaev’s wrestling,” Borralho said. “When you feel the level of wrestling he has, the pressure, it’s a bit impressive. I’ve trained with him and I know the level he has, I know what to expect if this fight happens one day. The crazy thing about fighting him is that you don’t know what to expect. I don’t think Whittaker has anyone who can mimic half of that wrestling in his camp, so I think Chimaev wins. Being a five-round fight, if Whittaker can survive the first and second rounds, maybe the fights gets better for him, but I still think Chimaev wins.”

Borralho hopes to inject his name into the conversation with a win over Cannonier. Another victory would boost his UFC winning streak to seven straight following past victories over the likes of Craig, Abus Magomedov, Michal Oleksiejczuk, and Makhmud Muradov.

“It all depends on how those fights go,” Borralho said. “If they all win via decision, and one of them gets the knockout, he might be the next [contender], and that’s why I think a knockout or a submission [against Cannonier] might put me as the next contender. I’ll be ready for anything the UFC says, as always. I’ll walk the hardest road and do the fights the UFC asks.

“I’ll point at my waist and ask for my belt after I knock out Cannonier, I’ll show the champion has arrived. But I’ll be ready. If there’s a short-notice fight, anything like that, I’ll be ready for the belt.”

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