UFC 212's Paulo Borrachinha expects title shot by 5th UFC appearance

Paulo Borrachinha has had only one UFC fight, but he’s already plotting his road map to the middleweight title, and it’s a pretty direct route.

Unlike many of his counterparts, Borrachinha doesn’t hesitate to publicly broach the topic of a UFC title.

Borrachinha (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) said his UFC 212 fight with Oluwale Bamgbose (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), as well as the ones that follow, will prove he’s not speaking out of turn and that the Brazilian is the future at 185 pounds.

“I plan to win here in Rio, first of all, and then I plan to fight again before year’s end so I can have three victories in the UFC,” Borrachinha told MMAjunkie. “Around my fifth fight I expect to be fighting for that belt. That’s my plan; it’s my path. It’s what I plan to do. It’s what I’ll do. I plan to fight for the belt by late 2018.”

UFC 212 takes place Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Borrachinha vs. Bamgbose airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Borrachinha joined the UFC roster earlier this year as a touted prospect with an undefeated record. He showed the hype was justified after plowing through Garreth McLellan in just 77 seconds at UFC Fight Night 106 in March. It marked the ninth consecutive win to open his career, all of which have come via first-round stoppage.

In more than five years as a professional, Borrachinha has never had a fight enter the second round. That won’t last forever, though, and the true extent of his ability will be revealed once he’s pushed out of his comfort zone by increasingly skilled opponents.

He doesn’t foresee Bamgbose as the one to drag him into unfamiliar waters, though, and that’s because he’s handled his career with the utmost care. At 26, every move Borrachinha has made has been a calculated one, he said. And while claiming he will be fighting for a UFC belt within the next handful of fights seems rather ambitious, it’s apparently all part of the master plan.

“My career is coming along with careful thought; my performances have been as planned,” Borrachinha said. “My training and diet have been done in a sensible manner. All those factors contribute to my results. And I make it a point to always be next to my trainers, no matter where I go. I’m confident that’s also a great part of my successful results.

“As far as remaining undefeated, it doesn’t stress me out. I have a personal obligation to win every fight, whether or not I have an undefeated record. So I don’t think about the fact that my record has no losses. It happened naturally. I always look to win a fight bonus. I know I have every ability to train and earn a bonus, which is something I expect to do again, and throughout my career.”

For complete coverage of UFC 212, check out the UFC Events section of the site.