Borralho Warns Strickland Could Be Stripped as UFC Middleweight Division Waits on Its Champion

Sean Strickland has not fought since May, and the middleweight division is starting to ask out loud how long that can go on. The latest voice belongs to Caio Borralho, the Brazilian contender who fights at UFC 334 next Saturday, and he did not soften the message. Speaking to MMA Junkie this week, Borralho said he believes the UFC could take the belt off Strickland at any moment. Strickland won the middleweight title for a second time in May, beating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328. Since then there has been no fight, no date and no opponent, only a contract dispute with the promotion that has kept the champion on the sidelines while the division moves on without him. Borralho's argument is a simple one: the UFC has shown before that it will not let a belt gather dust, and Strickland's situation is not as protected as some might think. "I think they can [strip Strickland] any time," Borralho said. "They didn't strip [Islam] Makhachev, but he was supposed to fight in January, but then refused. So they said, '[expletive] it. We're doing the interim belt.'" The comparison matters, because it shows Borralho has been watching how the UFC handles champions who will not fight. When a titleholder stalls, the promotion's answer has increasingly been to create an interim belt and let the division carry on. Borralho believes the same logic could be applied at middleweight, and he even has a fight in mind for it. "I think they can do [Nassourdine] Imavov vs. another big name for the interim, and if Strickland stays with this narrative for too long, they'll strip him. They won't let him hold the division," he said. "In a great way, everyone wants to see me vs. Imavov again. Last time, I had to cut weight twice in three weeks as I was the backup for the title." That last detail is worth remembering. Borralho has already done the thankless work of a division, twice cutting weight in three weeks to stand by as the backup for a title fight. He is not a voice from the outside throwing stones. He is a man who has put himself through the hardest part of the sport and watched the belt stay frozen while he did it. His timing is not accidental either. Borralho returns to the octagon at UFC 334 next Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden, where he meets knockout artist Yousri Belgaroui on the main card. A big win there, he believes, puts him right in the frame for whatever comes next at 185 pounds. "My name is already on the table. That is undeniable. No one in the division did that, and I fought tough guys. I think after a big win on November 14, for sure," Borralho said. "There are three guys: Brendan Allen, Joe Pyfer and myself. It seems the UFC don't want Brendan. Pyfer has a fight for February. So, maybe a big moment for me with a flash knockout or submission, it could happen." It is a confident pitch, but it is not an empty one. The middleweight title picture is genuinely stuck, and the UFC has a habit of rewarding the fighter who is ready when the logjam breaks. Strickland's dispute may yet be resolved and the champion may yet defend his belt. But Borralho's warning carries weight precisely because it is not a threat. It is a description of how this sport works. Belts belong to the men who defend them.