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 the ongoing harassment from the bully fraternity Alpha Betas at the fictional Adams College. At the film’s end, Gilbert stands before the college fraternities and delivers a rousing speech about standing up to discrimination.
“I just wanted to say that I’m a nerd, and I’m here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds,” he said. “All our lives we’ve been laughed at and made to feel inferior.”
In 2024, undefeated Brazilian middleweight Caio Borralho is standing up for nerds across the globe. However, unlike Skolnink and Lowe, Borralho’s MMA crew — The Fighting Nerds — are bullying the bullies at their own game.
“We are the nerds who like to fight,” the former math and chemistry teacher turned mixed martial artist told ESPN. “The real point [of The Fighting Nerds] is to inspire people,” Borralho said. “There’s a message for all the people who have been bullied around the world. Some kids wear glasses but don’t like to because they feel they are ugly. Imagine [what it is like] to see the best fighters in the world kicking the s— out of people and are proud to wear their glasses?”
The San Paulo, Brazil, collective has had a remarkable run since Borralho’s UFC debut in 2022. Led by 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 Brasil (10-4-1, 2-2 UFC) and has become one of the fastest rising gyms in MMA.
Before they made a living in MMA, Borralho and Sucupira were nerds in their own right who ended up coming together via common ground. Sucupira worked as a copywriter for a marketing agency before he pursued a career as a boxer and kickboxer. A knockout loss in a Muay Thai fight in 2009 made the Brazilian realize that he’s more cut out to create game plans rather than execute them because his body couldn’t carry out the ideas that he had during a fight. He opened a gym in the small town of Barra Funda called the Combat Club and met a young fighter named Caio Borralho who needed a striking coach. Sucupira took a liking to Borralho and took notice of his analytical approach to fighting. Unlike Sucupira, Borralho possessed both the intellect and the athleticism to execute game plans that were based on deciphering tendencies and patterns to put himself in the best position to win.
“He was just like me, where we prefer to be rational than emotional when it comes to fighting,” Sucupira said. “We looked at it like a math problem and when you prepare for an exam, you have to be calm, relaxed and think before you answer, especially when the adrenaline kicks in, to do your best work.”
“We approach fighting in a different way,” Borralho said. “We are analyzing everything — statistics, [fighting] mechanics, movements and patterns. We are just different in this game.”
Due to their respective backgrounds and their analytical approach to the fight game, Borralho and Sucupira decided to call themselves The Fighting Nerds.
“Fighting and nerds are two opposites that, when put together, are a strong mix,” Sucupira said about the name of the collective. “Every fighter wants to be more intelligent and every nerd wants to be brave.”
Borralho (16-1, 6-0 UFC) will look to add to The Fighting Nerds’ success when he faces former title challenger Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday. A win will thrust him into the middleweight title contention conversation. But just as important is winning on Saturday to Borralho, the opportunity to showcase The Fighting Nerds’ eyewear of choice.
The glasses — taped in the middle to symbolize the stereotype of nerds having their eyewear broken by bullies — have become the uniform of The Fighting Nerds.
Similar to the Papakha hat that Khabib Nurmagomedov wore in tribute to his native country of Dagestan, The Fighting Nerds wear their glasses to and from the Octagon and put them on whoever is responsible for their post-fight interview. Jean Silva famously placed the glasses on UFC analyst Joe Rogan after his victory over Charles Jourdain at UFC 303.
“Our goal is to fight inside a big arena with everybody wearing the glasses,” said Borralho, who has worn eyeglasses since age 3 due to astigmatism and myopia, of the trend he hopes catches on. What was once something he was ashamed to wear has now become a symbol of intelligence and strength.
“These glasses will go further than the fight game,” Sucupira said. “If you are a nerd, you are probably the best in the class or, in this case, the best in the Octagon. The Fighting Nerds aren’t here to change the fighting game. We are here to change the way people think about the nerds, the ones who study to be the best at whatever they do. We want nerds everywhere to be proud of themselves”
The Brazilian may not look like the stereotypical nerd due to 6-foot-2 frame and the words “Free Spirit” tattooed across his neck. But Borralho has found an intense game of chess or an evening of anime just as stimulating as mapping out an analytical game plan to pick his opponents apart.
“In MMA, it seems so farfetched that brains and intelligence can win in this way,” MMA trainer Din Thomas told ESPN about the rise of The Fighting Nerds. “They’re striking in a different way that seems to be more calculated than everybody else.”
Thomas has been impressed with the collective ever 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 have success, he has noticed their highly proficient striking ability that has left opponents disoriented and on the wrong end of a knockout.
Most recently, Prates became the first fighter to knock out Li Jingliang in the Chinese fighter’s 17-year career at UFC 305. Thomas was astounded by Prates’ patience and his nuanced approach to secure the stoppage.
Prates isn’t the only member of the gym that has dominated with his striking. Women’s strawweight Bruna Brasil put on a striking clinic against standup specialist Molly McCann at UFC 304. Jean Silva’s impressive third-round stoppage of Drew Dober — two weeks after being the first fighter to knock out Charles Jourdain at UFC 303 — raised eyebrows while Mauricio Ruffy’s performance in his promotional debut at UFC 301 when he finished Jamie Mullarkey in the first round cemented the notion that something special was happening in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“Their rhythm, timing and ability to see what’s happening is incredibly impressive,” Thomas said.
The Fighting Nerds still have a long way to go before they are recognized as one of the elite teams in MMA but, like New Zealand’s City Kickboxing’s takeover a few years back, they have the talent primed and firing on all cylinders at just the right time.
“Every year is the year of The Fighting Nerds takeover and we’re just beginning,” Borrahlo said. “Next year will be even bigger with me and my [middleweight] title, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates getting into the rankings and our army of fighters coming to the UFC. We’re here to achieve our dreams.”
The world may find out when the leader of The Fighting Nerds steps into the Octagon against a former title contender currently ranked the No. 5 middleweight by the UFC. As it currently stands, the top half of the UFC’s middleweight division could use an injection of new blood into the title picture with mainstays Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, Marvin Vettori and Cannonier having all challenged for or already been a champion. Should Borralho pass the test against heavy-handed Cannonier, Borrahlo could find himself squarely in the title picture by 2025 with potential showdowns against Nassourdine Imavov, Khamzat Chimaev or Sean Strickland within reach.
“I’m the new breed of the division,” Borralho said. “After I finish Jared, there will be no conversations. I will be the next contender in the middleweight division.
After Skolnik and Rowe deliver their speech in the Revenge of the Nerds finale, their Tri-Lambs fraternity end up moving into the Alpha Betas’ frat house as the students of Adams College show their support by chanting “Nerds” as the credits roll.
If that film is any indication, it may be safe to say that The Fighting Nerds are well on their way to taking over the house known as the UFC.
