DWCS 44 winner Caio Borralho on how second opportunity for UFC deal came about

LAS VEGAS – Second time was the charm for Caio Borralho, who needed two stints on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract.

Borralho (10-1) defeated Aaron Jeffrey by unanimous decision just two weeks ago at Dana White’s Contender Series 41, but it wasn’t enough to secure him a deal. But the opportunity to compete in front of the UFC brass again came a lot sooner than he expected, and the Brazilian made sure his performance left no doubt that he belonged.

Borralho moved up from middleweight to light heavyweight and scored a first-round finish of Jesse Murray at Dana White’s Contender Series 44 on Tuesday, earning two wins in just three weeks, as well as a UFC contract.

“It was two days after my fight,” Borralho said during the DWCS 44 post-fight news conference. “So I won the fight, but I didn’t get the contract as you guys saw and then Mick (Maynard) told my manager that I could go back to Brazil and fight some regionals and maybe come back, or I could stay in town and get a short-notice, but on Thursday, two days after my fight, they offered me the light heavyweight fight, so I accepted right away because I know the UFC is the place I’m meant to be. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid and, man, I’m so happy.”

He continued, “I fought the first time, I was like so happy and then Dana said he wasn’t interested, so I got time to think and to do what I do best, and that’s to finish fights. I’m here in the UFC to finish fights, so I came back, I got my sh*t together, and today was my day. Thank God for that.”

To see the full interview with Borralho, check out the video above.