Luca Borando’s DWCS Camp: Behind the Scenes Before Ian Escuza Fight
For Luca Borando, the trip to Las Vegas is the payoff for a run that has taken him from the Italian regional scene to one fight away from the UFC. This behind-the-scenes video follows the 26-year-old Italian as he puts the final work into his training camp before facing unbeaten Peruvian prospect Ian Escuza at Dana White's Contender Series 2026 Week 8.
The September 29 matchup brings together two featherweights with a combined professional record of 16-1 and 15 finishes. Escuza is 7-0 with seven stoppages; Borando arrives at 9-1 with eight finishes and five consecutive knockout or TKO victories. For both men, the goal at the UFC APEX is straightforward: produce the kind of performance that earns a UFC contract.
Luca Borando's five-fight knockout streak
Borando's route to Dana White's Contender Series has largely run through Cage Warriors. After suffering the only defeat of his career against Matthew Elliott in July 2024, he responded with five straight stoppage victories.
The sequence began in Rome against Nicolae Mezdrea at Cage Warriors 179, where Borando secured a third-round TKO. He followed it by stopping Jan Masek with a body kick at Cage Warriors 189 and finishing Tariel Abbasov with a knee and punches at Cage Warriors 195.
By the time Cage Warriors 204 returned to Rome in April 2026, Borando had already established himself as one of the promotion's most dangerous Italian prospects. Against Caique Araujo, he produced what Cage Warriors described as arguably his best performance to that point, using sharp striking to score a second-round knockout at 2:51.
That entire fight can be watched in MMAtown's Luca Borando vs. Caique Araujo full fight.
One more knockout at Cage Warriors 209
Borando did not have to wait long for another opportunity. He returned less than three months later at Cage Warriors 209 in Newcastle, moving up for a 161-pound catchweight bout with Leandro Camargo.
Once again, he did not need the judges. Borando stopped Camargo with an elbow at 2:17 of the first round, extending his winning streak to five and improving to 9-1. All five wins during that run have come by knockout or TKO.
That recent form is a major part of the story behind this training-camp footage. Borando is not entering the Contender Series on reputation alone; he has been consistently finishing opponents across multiple Cage Warriors events while moving closer to a UFC opportunity.
Ian Escuza presents an unbeaten striking test on DWCS
The Ian Escuza vs. Luca Borando matchup is particularly interesting because neither man has built his record by playing safe.
Escuza enters at 7-0 and has finished every professional opponent. The Peruvian comes from a Muay Thai background and has developed a reputation for aggressive striking, giving Borando a matchup that should provide plenty of opportunities to showcase the stand-up game behind his recent knockout run.
The UFC's own preview highlighted the contrast: Escuza has seven finishes from seven fights, while Borando brings a 9-1 record with eight stoppages. Between them, only one of their 17 combined professional appearances has ended in a Borando decision victory.
Borando has also made no secret of his confidence in the matchup. While respecting Escuza's striking credentials, he has said his intention is to beat the Peruvian at his own game and use the performance to establish himself as another Italian fighter capable of competing in the UFC.
Inside Borando's final preparations for DWCS Week 8
That is where this video adds something different from a standard fight preview. Rather than simply breaking down records and recent results, it follows Borando through the final stages of camp as the biggest opportunity of his career approaches.
He began training in combat sports as a teenager and now fights out of Aurora MMA in Rome. More than a decade of work has led to one night at the UFC APEX, where a victory alone does not necessarily guarantee anything. Contender Series fighters are expected to convince Dana White and the UFC matchmakers that they belong on the roster, making performance as important as the result.
Borando vs. Escuza sits in the middle of a five-fight DWCS Week 8 card that also includes George Staines vs. Loai Abushaar, Zaurbek Sabanov vs. Adama Diop, Aieza Bertolso vs. Camila Reynoso and Ilias Bulaid vs. Erick Visconde. For odds, predictions and a breakdown of the entire lineup, see MMAtown's DWCS 2026 Week 8 preview and predictions.
For Borando, though, the equation is much narrower. Five consecutive stoppages have carried him from Cage Warriors to Las Vegas. Against an unbeaten opponent with a perfect finishing record of his own, the next performance could determine whether that run continues inside the UFC.