Abus Magomedov Steps in for Nursulton Ruziboev against Caio Borralho

N.Ruziboev out. Caio Borralho will now fight Abus Magomedov at #UFCSP on November 4th. (per @MMAFighting) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFCSaoPaulo #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/P0qNF9UrwQ

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) October 8, 2023

Caio Borralho will not have to miss out on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first trip to Sao Paulo in four years.

“The Natural” (14-1) was originally scheduled to face Nursulton Ruziboev (35-8) at UFC Fight Night 231 on Nov. 4. However, MMA Fighting recently reported that Ruziboev pulled out of the matchup for undisclosed reasons and has been replaced by former Professional Fighters League standout Abusupiyan Magomedov.

Borralho is undefeated in four UFC outings with a submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk in his most recent walk to the Octagon on April 29. The 30-year-old Brazilian, who has not fought in his native country in nearly three years, will look to put on a showing in front of his home fans when he takes on Magomedov.

Magomedov (25-5) made a statement in his UFC debut last year, knocking out Dustin Stoltzfus in 19 seconds to win a “Performance of the Night” bonus. The Russian-born German slugger was subsequently pitted against now-UFC champ Sean Strickland who handed him a second-round KO loss.

UFC Fight Night 231, also known as “UFC Sao Paulo,” takes place on Nov. 4 at that city’s Ibirapuera Gymnasium. While the lineup of fights is still in flux, the scheduled headliner features former heavyweight title challenger Curtis Blaydes against red-hot Brazilian Jailton Almeida, whose 5-0 UFC record consists of all first or second-round finishes and has seen him transition seamlessly from light heavyweight to heavyweight.