Andre Lima returns this weekend, and Kevin Borjas is the opponent standing in front of him in Las Vegas. Lima has not fought since last March, turning this into a 15-month absence before a matchup that puts his unbeaten start back on the line.
Andre Lima returns after 15 months with a chance to keep his 4-0 UFC run moving, while Borjas arrives having lost four of five since joining the roster. Lima also said he wants three fights this year, including this one.
Last March to Las Vegas
Lima’s own timeline explains why this fight carries more weight than a routine booking. He made his pro debut in MMA in October 2022, signed with UFC in October 2023, and said the longest layoff of his career before that point was six months between his Contender Series fight and his UFC debut.
Now the break has stretched to 15 months. Lima said, "I was always a very active fighter," and added, "I made my pro debut in MMA in October ’22. I signed with UFC in October ’23. I had six fights in this period, and the biggest period of inactivity I had, including my kickboxing career was between my Contender Series fight and my UFC debut, which was six months… It’s been pretty crazy, been pretty tough, but I’m ready to come back. I’m ready to show the UFC that I want to be an active fighter. I want to have three fights this year, including this one, and I wanna be ready to step up on short notice and make up for lost time."
Andre Lima’s unbeaten run
The numbers around Lima are clean. He is 11-0 overall, 4-0 in the UFC, and he went the distance in his first three UFC assignments before finishing Daniel Barez in the third round last time out. That finish ended a stretch that had bothered him.
"It was something that was bothering me a little bit," Lima said, then explained that his first three UFC wins came against very tough opponents. He said he had to protect his place in the UFC before he could shift his priority toward a finish, and that change paid off against Barez. Before that, he had five stoppages in six regional circuit fights, so the late finish fit the track record he built before the UFC.
Kevin Borjas steps in
Borjas gives the bout a different edge. He is stepping in for DongHun Choi, and he enters after losing four of five since joining the roster. That puts Lima in front of an opponent trying to reset his own run while taking this fight on short notice.
All due respect to Kevin, Lima said, "it’s gonna be an honor to share the cage with him," but the matchup still asks the same hard question: does the layoff slow Lima down, or does the pause leave him fresher for a fight against a replacement opponent with recent damage on his record? The answer starts this weekend in Las Vegas, where Lima gets the chance to turn a long break into momentum instead of rust.
