Runner-up in 2013 and third place in 2016, Diego Borges has come closer than most others to capturing a Copa Podio title. 

Written by Erik Engelhardt

He will return for the Middleweight Grand Prix on July 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is one of the favorites with a real chance of unseating the defending champion Leandro Lo. 

In the past two Grand Prixs, the black belt from Manuas in the North of Brazil lost via advantages to Leandro Lo in some very tough and close matches. He knows that this time, he will have to do something special to take out the champ. 

For me to go home with the title this time, I have to make less mistakes, because the Copa Podio Grand Prix is one of the toughest competitions in the world.

“If you look to one side, you have five hungry lions. And on the other side of the bracket is the same thing. There’s nowhere to run," says Borges. 

With so many beasts on his way to the title, Borges doesn’t intend to save any energy in his matches and will have his foot on the gas pedal from the start. 

I have to look at every fight as if it were a final, and you’ll have nine other athletes with the same goal as mine!

“I’m pretty focused, the only problem is the weight, but I'm working to gain more weight and get heavier. I'm stoked. I’m going to let my jiu-jitsu flow without fear of making mistakes.”

Watch the Copa Podio 2016 Middleweight Grand Prix Only on FloGrappling