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Andreas Hale, ESPN
In the 1984 film “Revenge of the Nerds,” characters Lewis Skolnik (played by Robert Carradine) and Gilbert Lowe (played by Anthony Edwards) lead a group of nerds to stop constant harassment from the bullying fraternity Alpha Betas at the fictional Adams College. At the end of the film, Gilbert stands before the fraternity and gives a passionate speech against discrimination.
“I just want to say that I am a nerd, and I am here tonight to defend the rights of other nerds,” he said. “Our whole lives we have been ridiculed and treated as inferior.”
2024, undefeated Brazilian middleweight Caio Borralho is standing up for nerds around the world. Unlike Skolnink and Lowe, however, Borralho’s MMA group — The Fighting Nerds — is bullying bullies at their own game.
“We’re nerds who like to fight,” the former math and chemistry teacher turned mixed martial arts fighter told ESPN. “The real point is [of The Fighting Nerds] “It’s to inspire people,” Borralho said. “There’s a message for all the people who are bullied around the world. Some kids wear glasses but don’t like them because they feel ugly. Imagine [what it is like] witness the best fighters in the world take down opponents and proudly wear the glasses?”
The San Paulo, Brazil collective has had a remarkable run since Borralho made his UFC debut in 2022. Under the guidance of Borralho and head coach Pablo Sucupira, The Fighting Nerds include Carlos Prates (19-6, 3-0 UFC), Jean Silva (14-2, 3-0 UFC), Mauricio Ruffy (10-1, 1-0 UFC) and Bruna Brazil (10-4-1, 2-2 UFC) and has become one of the fastest growing gyms in MMA.
Before making a living in MMA, Borralho and Sucupira were literal oddballs who eventually came together through common ground. Sucupira worked as a copywriter for a marketing firm before pursuing a career as a boxer and kickboxer. A knockout loss in a Muay Thai fight in 2009 made the Brazilian realize that he was better suited to planning fights than executing them, as his body couldn’t handle the ideas he had in a fight. He opened a gym in the small town of Barra Funda called Combat Club and met a young fighter named Caio Borralho, who was in need of a striking coach. Sucupira liked Borralho and took notice of his analytical approach to fighting. Unlike Sucupira, Borralho possesses both the intellect and physical strength to execute game plans based on deciphering trends and patterns to put himself in the best position to win.
“He’s like me, we prefer logic over emotion when it comes to fighting,” Sucupira said. “We look at it like a math problem and when you’re preparing for an exam, you have to be calm, relaxed and think before you answer, especially when the adrenaline is running high, to do your best.”
“We approach combat differently,” Borralho said. “We’re analyzing everything — statistics, [fighting] mechanics, movement and patterns. We’re just different in this game.”
Due to their distinct backgrounds and analytical approach to fighting games, Borralho and Sucupira decided to call themselves The Fighting Nerds.
“Fighting and nerdiness are two opposite things, but when combined, they make a powerful combination,” Sucupira said of the group’s name. “Every fighter wants to be smarter and every nerd wants to be brave.”
Borralho (16-1, 6-0 UFC) will look to add to The Fighting Nerds’ success when he takes on former title contender Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday. A win would put him in contention for the middleweight title. But a win over Borralho on Saturday would be just as important, a chance to showcase The Fighting Nerds’ eyewear of choice.
The glasses – glued in the middle to represent the stereotypical image of bullied nerds breaking their glasses – became the uniform of The Fighting Nerds.
Similar to the Papakha hat Khabib Nurmagomedov In homage to their hometown of Dagestan, The Fighting Nerds wore the glasses to and from the Octagon and to whoever was in charge of their post-fight interviews. Jean Silva famously wore the glasses to UFC analyst Joe Rogan after his win over Charles Jourdain at UFC 303.
“Our goal is to fight in a big arena with everyone wearing glasses,” Borralho, who has worn glasses since he was 3 years old due to astigmatism and nearsightedness, said of the trend he hopes will be embraced. What was once something he was embarrassed to wear has now become a symbol of intelligence and strength.
“These goggles will go beyond fighting games,” Sucupira says. “If you’re a nerd, you can be the best in your class or, in this case, the best in the Octagon. Fighting Nerds isn’t here to change the fighting game. We’re here to change the way people think about nerds, people who are learning to be the best at whatever they do. We want nerds everywhere to be proud of who they are.”
This Brazilian may not look like your typical nerd, standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall and with the words “Free Spirit” tattooed on his neck. But Borralho finds a tense game of chess or an evening of anime just as stimulating as devising an analytical plan to analyze his opponents.
“In MMA, it seems so far-fetched that intelligence and wit can win in this way,” MMA coach Thomas of Din told ESPN about the rise of The Fighting Nerds. “They attack in a different way, it seems more calculated than anyone else.”
Thomas has been impressed with this group since Borralho appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. As he began to see more fighters from the gym make their way into the UFC and succeed, he noticed their extremely proficient striking that left opponents disoriented and vulnerable to knockouts.
Most recently, Prates became the first fighter to knock out Lee Kim Luong in the Chinese fighter’s 17-year career at UFC 305. Thomas was amazed by Prates’ patience and his refined approach to winning.
Prates isn’t the only member of the gym who dominates with her striking. Female strawweight Bruna Brasil had a striking session with the stand-up specialist. Molly McCann at UFC 304. Jean Silva’s impressive third-round victory Drew Dober — two weeks after becoming the first fighter to knock out Charles Jourdain at UFC 303 — made headlines when Mauricio Ruffy’s performance in his promotional debut at UFC 301 when he finished Jamie Mullarkey The first round reinforced the notion that something special was going on in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“Their rhythm, timing and ability to see what’s going on is really impressive,” says Thomas.
Fighting Nerds still have a long way to go to be recognised as one of the elite MMA teams but, like the takeover of City Kickboxing from New Zealand a few years ago, they have well-trained talent and are firing on all cylinders at the right time.
“Every year is the year The Fighting Nerds take over and we’re just getting started,” Borrahlo said. “Next year is going to be even bigger for me and [middleweight] titles, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates entering the rankings and our army of fighters coming to the UFC. We are here to achieve our dreams.”
The world could find out when The Fighting Nerds leader steps into the Octagon against a former title contender who is currently ranked No. 5 middleweight by the UFC. As things stand, the top half of the UFC middleweight division could be in need of some fresh blood for the title picture with mainstays Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, Marvin Vettori and Cannonier has either challenged or been the champion. If Borralho overcomes the challenge against Cannonier, Borrahlo could find himself firmly in the title picture by 2025 with potential confrontations with Nassourdine Imavov, Khamzat Chimaev or Sean Strickland within reach
“I am a new breed in this division,” Borralho said. “After I beat Jared, there will be no more talk. I will be the next contender in the middleweight division.
After Skolnik and Rowe spoke in the final episode of Revenge of the Nerds, their Tri-Lambs fraternity moved into the Alpha Betas fraternity house as the students of Adams College showed their support by chanting “Nerds” as the credits ended.
If this movie is any indication, it’s safe to say that The Fighting Nerds are on their way to taking over the house known as the UFC.
