Caio Borralho isn’t your typical UFC fighter.
For one thing he taught chemistry and mathematics. For another, he’s an accomplished chess player.
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The 33-year-old Brazilian middleweight, affectionately known as the “King of the Nerds,” has carved out a reputation that defies the usual stereotype.
Inside his Sao Paulo gym, a mural of scientist Albert Einstein looms over the training floor, watching on as fighters put in their rounds.
Borralho says he’s always been this way.
“I like science, I like to study and I also like getting to know myself,” he told Fox Sports Australia this week ahead of his UFC 326 clash with Reinier de Ridder.
“And my other big passion is video games.”
His MMA team – The Fighting Nerds – have made an artform out of bullying the bullies. True to their name, they proudly wear their signature black plastic glasses with tape at the centre during interviews.
The team has been making a lot of noise since Borralho’s UFC debut in 2022. Spearheaded by Borralho and head coach Pablo Sucupira, The Fighting Nerds have quickly morphed from odd curiosity into one of MMA’s more respected gyms.
The roster, which includes the likes of Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, are known as much for strategy and preparation as for skill inside the cage.
“They call me King of the Nerds because I was the first of us to get into the UFC,” Borralho said.
“And also because I’m always there to support the other guys. I’m always helping them and I’m always there for them. It’s very important.
“The real king is the one to go through things first and then passes on the knowledge to the other guys.”
The Fighting Nerds have kicked off 2026 on a high note, with Ruffy and Silva racking up impressive wins after a few setbacks late last year.
“We’re back on track,” Borralho said.
“This is comeback season. I was the first of us to make it into the UFC, and now I’m the last to get back in the win column.
“Now it’s my time to do that.”
Borralho had been flawless inside the Octagon until he ran into Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris last year, suffering his first UFC defeat.
Victory that night would have put him into the thick of the title conversation – and that’s exactly where he’s intent on climbing back to when he throws down with de Ridder this weekend.
RDR, a former two-division champion in ONE Championship at middleweight and light heavyweight, is a nightmare assignment for anyone – just ask Aussie Robert Whittaker.
But in typical fashion, the leader of The Fighting Nerds insists the puzzle is solvable. He’s done his homework.
“It wasn’t hard to gameplan against him,” he said.
“I think he has some very clear patterns.
“He likes to grapple and he likes to shoot for takedowns and I think that’s what he’s going to do this weekend.
“He knows he can’t stand and strike with me.”
And the fact de Ridder is one of the biggest middleweights on the roster?
That doesn’t faze him either.
“For sure I might prefer to fight the shorter guys, but in my last few fights I’ve adapted to fighting the bigger guys.
“No, it doesn’t worry me at all.”
Borralho has zero patience for bullies, and he doesn’t hold back when naming the division’s biggest one in his opinion – Dricus du Plessis.
“Dricus is a big bully,” he said.
“He likes to bully people at press conferences and all that.
“I would like to go up against him at some point – I think it’s a great fight. I’ve called him out a couple of times.”
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But first he’s got to get past RDR this weekend. Should he pass the test, Borrahlo could find himself back in the title picture against the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.
“I see myself KOing him (de Ridder), you know,” he said.
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“I think it’s the smartest way to win this fight – and I think that’s exactly how I’m going to do it.”
When pressed if he is the toughest nerd in the world, he paused for a moment and smiled.
“I just might be.”