UFC 301 went down last night (Sat., May 4, 2024) inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the main event of the evening, Alexandre Pantoja defeated Steve Erceg via unanimous decision to retain his Flyweight title. In the co-main event, Jose Aldo turned back the hands of time to secure a dominant unanimous decision win over Jonathan Martinez in a Bantamweight affair (recap here).
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Winner: Alexandre Pantoja
Who He Should Face Next: Amir Albazi (or Muhammad Mokaev)
Pantoja earned his second straight title defense after taking out a very game Erceg, but his next opponent might offer a bit more resistance in the former of No. 3 ranked Amir Albazi. “The Prince” is currently on a six-fight win streak, five inside the Octagon. He was set to face former title challenger, Brandon Moreno, earlier this year before he was bounced out of the fight with a neck injury. Muhammad Mokaev, who is undefeated at 12-0-1, 6-0 UFC, also has a good case, but Albazi gets it in my opinion just for the sake of being ranked ahead of him by three spots. That said, rankings do not seem to matter much these days, just ask Erceg, who got the title fight while sitting at No. 10.
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Winner: Jose Aldo
Who He Should Face Next: Dominick Cruz
Getting a win after two years on the sidelines is very impressive, especially for an aging veteran. But Aldo showed the combat world that he still has plenty left in the tank with a nice win over a younger streaking contender (highlights here). There were rumblings that Aldo and Cruz were possibly set to throw down at UFC 301, so why no re-visit this potential matchup between two World Extreme Cafefighting (WEC) and UFC legends? Both may not get to another title fight in their UFC careers, so a this point nostalgic fights may be the way to go as their MMA careers wind down.
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Winner: Anthony Smith
Who He Should Face Next: Menifield vs. Ulberg winner
Smith pull off a huge upset by choking out Vitor Petrino in the very first round, giving him his first win since narrowly defeating Ryan Spann in Aug. 2023 via split decision. Currently ranked No. 10, “Lionheart” may expect to get the call to face the winner of the upcoming fight between Alonzo Menifield and Carlos Ulberg, who are set to collide next Saturday at UFC St. Louis.
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Winner: Michel Pereira
Who He Should Face Next: Anthony Hernandez
Pereira secured his eight straight win with an impressive 54-second submission win over Ihor Potieria. The always-entertaining striker is as wild as they come. And while it is fun to watch, once he starts facing the Top 15 he might have to be a bit more technical and less careless because they will make him pay for it. Up next, I am feeling a potential fight against Hernandez next. “Fluffy” is currently on a five-fight win streak with his last defeat coming four years ago. Hernandez is currently sitting at No. 12, while Borralho can expect to move up a few spots from the No. 14 spot following his latest win.
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Winner: Caio Borralho
Who He Should Face Next: Jack Hermansson
Borralho earned his thirteenth straight win by absolutely demolishing Paul Craig via second-round knockout. Borralho can expect to move up a few spots from the No. 14 spot following his latest win, so I am feeling a possible bout against Hermansson, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Joe Pyfer.
For complete UFC 301 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.