Caio: Izzy Simply Gave Up At UFC 305

Israel Adesanya was forced to tap to a rear-naked choke courtesy of current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, in the main event of UFC 305 a few weeks ago (see it again here). But according to one rising 185-pound contender, “The Last Stylebender” had already given up long before that.

“There was a moment that he gave up of the fight and actually, it was like a minute before he actually got finished. You know, I think he got tired and I think he lost the focus,” said Caio Borralho during a recent interview with Submission Radio.

“And he was starting to do things that he, he doesn’t do usually. Do. You know, he was starting to trade punches like crazy. He was putting a lot of power on the punches, trying to just knock out just to get out of there. I thought that he was not comfortable there anymore, as the moment that he got tired in the fight,” he added before saying he thinks Adesanya has lost his fight focus.

“And DDP did an amazing job, you know, so I don’t know if he still has it. You know, you know, the same focus, the same thing. Because if you see all the fights of him when he gets tired, he even changed a little bit. His face, you know, his expression, just to tell himself that he’s still there, that he gets more focused, that even when he’s tired. But this time he looked a little like a little bit more scary on his expression, on his face. And he gave up of the fight like a minute before the fight ended. You know, if you see, he gave us some signs that he didn’t want to be there anymore, you know?”

After Borralho defeat Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96 (recap here), Borralho took the opportunity to call out du Plessis, though that title fight is likely not going to happen next. If that happens to be the case, Borralho ha no qualms facing Adesanya. And his confidence is sky high should that come to pass, saying that he will also finish “The Last Stylebender,” only he will do it via knockout.

“I’m a guy that that puts a lot of pressure on when it comes about fighting. You guys see how I made I made Jared. I think Jared is the most powerful guy in the division. I think the guy, the heavy hitter of the division. I think it’s Jared Cannonier on the top ten. I think no one in any, any any of these other guys don’t hit as hard as him,” he said.

“So if I made him move backwards, I would definitely make anyone move backwards, you know? And I’m going to pressure a lot Adesanya in this fight. Make him move backwards. He likes to move backwards, actually, but I might be the only guy that use feints that we’re going to kick him the same way that he’s going to kick me. And I have the advantage on wrestling and grappling too, you know?

“So I think he’ll be always in doubt if I’m going to put him down or if I’m going to just like trade punches with him and I’m going to put pressure and maybe get a good knockout or a good takedown and definitely going to finish him, you know, with all the respect always. But that’s the way I see this fight going.”

After his loss at UFC 305, Adesanya hinted at another lengthy layoff, so a fight against Borralho probably isn’t in his crosshairs. In the meantime, if Borralho wants to continue to climb the Top 5, how about this potential scrap?