At only 21 years old, young Ray Borg is ready to take the UFC flyweight division by storm. “The Tazmexican Devil,” as he is nicknamed, made his UFC debut in April 2014 at the age of 20, when he took on top-15-ranked Dustin Ortiz at UFC on FOX 12. Despite taking the fight on extremely short notice, Borg hung in there with one of the better flyweights in the UFC, going the full 15 minutes and making it hard for the judges to pick a winner. Ultimately, the judges went with Ortiz via split decision, but the skills Borg showed in that fight definitely opened up some eyes, as many media members and fans watching thought he won.
Borg then fought Shane Howell at UFC Fight Night 44 in his second UFC fight, and this time he made it look easy, submitting Howell in the first round with a rear-naked choke. After taking Ortiz’ back several times in their matchup, it was pretty obvious to anyone who watched the fight that this kid is especially dangerous in the transitions. And that’s exactly how he caught Howell — getting a takedown, then getting his hooks around Howell’s thighs during a scramble, and then quickly sinking in the choke once he got his arms around Howell’s neck. It was an impressive performance to be sure, especially for a 20 year old, and again, it’s a performance that opened up more eyes about Borg’s potential in the sport.
With a 7-1 pro MMA record at age 20, with six of those wins coming by stoppage, Borg is now being viewed as someone who could be on the shortlist of contenders for UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. The New Mexico native was scheduled to take on Richie Vaculik at UFC Fight Night 55, but he was forced to pull out with an injury. That put an end to his 2014, a year where he went 2-1 overall, making it all the way to the UFC, and nearly breaking into the top 15.
Instead of rushing Borg up the ladder like the UFC did with fellow flyweight prospect Justin Scoggins, who failed as he climbed the 125-pound ranks, the UFC is building him up slowly, and instead of Borg being paired up with the likes of John Moraga, who submitted Scoggins, the UFC is taking a slow-and-steady approach with him. This weekend at UFC Fight Night 60, Borg will square off against Canadian Chris Kelades in a battle between two fighters who have one win in the UFC, with Kelades having decisioned Patrick Holohan in his Octagon debut.
On paper, it may look like an even matchup, with Borg entering the contest at 7-1 and Kelades at 8-1. The only difference is, although both are new to the UFC and although both could be called “prospects” because it’s MMA, Borg is 12 years younger than Kelades, who is 33. So although both have similar records, that age difference is hard to ignore, and along with all the hype surrounding Borg, it’s why you see him listed as a 7-to-1 betting favorite at the Sportsbooks.
I don’t know if this fight with Kelades is as one-sided as the betting public is making it out to be, but I do expect Borg to get his hand raised, and likely in impressive fashion, which would move him to 2-1 in the UFC at just 21 years of age. Provided he stays healthy, it’s feasible he gets two more fights in before the end of the year, and if he wins both, don’t be surprised if he enters the title conversation. This kid is damn good, and if you don’t know it already, you will soon.
• Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades
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UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs. Thatch (formerly UFC Fight Night 60: Brown vs. Saffiedine, UFC Fight Night 60: Thatch vs. Thompson) is due to take place on February 14, 2015 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
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