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- What: UFC Vegas 96 Main Event
- Who: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
- Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
- Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV
- Time: Prelims (7:00 p.m. ET), Main Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: ESPN+, ESPN
A pivotal middleweight contest headlines Saturday’s UFC Vegas 96 fight card from the UFC Apex. In the headlining bout of the Fight Night card, Jared Cannonier faces Caio Borralho. UFC Vegas 96 takes place on Saturday, August 24 on ESPN and ESPN+. Below is some background on the main event fighters before we discuss the betting breakdown for UFC Vegas 96.
Jared Cannonier (17-7) is the No. 5 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. Cannonier, who fought Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title in July 2022, is coming off a June knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov. Before that setback, Cannonier was on a two-fight winning streak with decision wins over Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori.
Caio Borralho (16-1-0-1) is the No. 12 combatant in the UFC’s 185-pound weight class. He is unbeaten in the UFC with a 6-0 record. Borralho’s most recent victory was a May knockout victory over Paul Craig.
Before we look at the best bets for the Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho matchup on the UFC Vegas 96 card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
UFC Vegas 96 main event: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |
| Caio Borralho | -190 | -198 | -190 | -199 |
| Jared Cannonier | +165 | +168 | +160 | +153 |
Jared Cannonier betting breakdown
Jared Cannonier is a pressure fighter who relies on his stand-up striking. Despite his heavily muscled frame, Cannonier is quick on the draw and incredibly adept at landing fast counters. Cannonier also lands effective calf kicks with power that hurt and slow his opponents from coming forward, which tends to help him when coupled with his fast hands. He has a good defense and can take a punch. Cannonier also switches stances with ease, giving his opponent different looks.
One thing to remember about Cannonier, who joined the UFC as a 7-0 fighter in 2015, is that he is 40 years old, which is nine years older than his opponent, Caio Borralho. At some point, age and time will catch up with him, but judging by his win over Vettori, that time is still in the future. Despite his age, Cannonier landed 241 of a whopping 411 attempted significant strikes in that five-round scrap. Cannonier’s cardio, pressure, power, and output should not be a worry in Vegas. Cannonier’s loss to Imavov came with some questions, as there were rumblings that referee Jason Herzog stopped things early. Cannonier was ahead on two of three scorecards when the fight was stopped in the fourth round.
Cannonier lands 4.62 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy of 52 percent. His striking defense is 58 percent, but he does get hit a fair amount, absorbing 4.19 significant strikes per minute. Cannonier is not known for his wrestling, but he did land four takedowns on six attempts against Vettori, so that might be something he’s added to his arsenal later in his career. He also went one-for-one in takedowns against Imavov.
Caio Borralho betting breakdown
Caio Borralho is fighting in his first UFC main event this weekend. This is, by far, the toughest test of the rising Brazilian’s career, as he is facing a man in Cannonier who has been in the UFC nearly as long as Borralho has been a professional mixed martial artist.
Borralho fights out of a southpaw stance, usually employing a light-footed karate approach on his feet. Borralho has relatively fast hands, and he moves in and out of range with a lot of speed and effectiveness. He does not rush his offense and is comfortable being a patient combatant. If there is a knock against Borralho’s striking, it’s that he is not very active, and that could be a problem against a heavy-handed opponent like Cannonier, who can score with his striking. He also keeps his guard low, which is dangerous against Cannonier.
Borralho has good takedowns when he needs them.
The best thing about Borralho is that he has a high fight IQ and can make adjustments in a fight when he needs to. He is not a one-trick pony. His game plans change from fight to fight because he and his team at Fight Nerds are solid.
Borralho lands 2.91 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 60 percent. He gets hit 2.06 times per minute with a striking defense of 60 percent. The Brazilian hits 63 percent of his takedown attempts and picks up 1.99 takedowns per 15 minutes. Borralho’s takedown defense is 76 percent.
Best Bets: UFC Vegas 96 main event – Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
This is a tough fight to pick, but because of his age, his fight IQ, and his ability to adjust in the fight, the betting pick is Caio Borralho to win a decision over Jared Cannonier.
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