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Joe Rogan set to miss UFC 301 card in Brazil, Paul Felder drafts in for South America fighting return

Enjoying a rather long-strecth in the commentary booth as of recent times, with the promotion’s venture outside of North…

Enjoying a rather long-strecth in the commentary booth as of recent times, with the promotion’s venture outside of North America this weekend for UFC 301 – veteran color-commentator, Joe Rogan will sit out Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Rio de Janeiro, with former lightweight contender, Paul Felder calling the action.

UFC 301, which takes place this weekend at the Farmasi Arena, hosts an undisputed flyweight championship headliner, with defending gold holder, Alexandre Pantoja returning to home soil since landing in the Dana White-led promotion.

Hoping to upset the apple cart and the home fans’ night, Australian contender, Steve Erceg looks to follow in the footsteps of fellow Oceanic champions, Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Alexander Volkanovski and strike Octagon gold – just four fights deep into his promotional run.

Alexandre Pantoja came face-to-face with Steve Erceg for the first time today ahead of #UFC301, backdropped by the Rio scenery.https://t.co/8sAdS8MmXQ

— LowKickMMA.com (@LowKick_MMA) April 30, 2024

The co-main event also appeals massively to fans globally – but particularly in Brazil, with former featherweight champion, Jose Aldo making his return from an almost two-year retirement, as he draws the surging Jonathan Martinez in a makeshift bout.

Joe Rogan UFC 300 Zuffa LLC — Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato

Joe Rogan misses UFC 301 card in Brazil

And with Joe Rogan electing against travelling to Rio, the above-mentioned, Felder drafts in his place, joining play-by-play lead, Jon Anik – as well as former two-weight champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Daniel Cormier.

As reported by MMA Fighting, Kayrn Bryant also returns as the event’s in-house reporter, and will handle interviews backstage during the Rio de Janeiro card.

Jose Aldo boxing Shooto Brazil 2 win — Mandatory Credit: Marcell Fagundes – Shooto Boxing

UFC 301 marks the promotion’s return to Brazil for the first time since last November’s ‘Fight Night’ billed card in Sao Paulo, with Jailton Almeida turning in a one-sided unanimous decision victory over former title challenger, Derrick Lewis.

The promotion’s most recent event in Rio came in the form of UFC 283 in January of last year, which saw former champion, Glover Teixeira bow out of the sport following a unanimous decision defeat to recent UFC 300 main event star, Jamahal Hill in the pair’s vacant light heavyweight title fight.

Would you have liked to see Joe Rogan call the action at UFC 301 in Rio

Photos – Alexandre Pantoja faces off with Steve Erceg in front of Sugarloaf Mountain ahead of UFC 301 title fight

Ahead of their undisputed flyweight championship fight this weekend in Brazil at UFC 301, championship stars, Alexandre Pantoja and…

Ahead of their undisputed flyweight championship fight this weekend in Brazil at UFC 301, championship stars, Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg squared off for a face-to-face meeting in front of the Sugarloaf mountain – taking in the Rio de Janeiro scenery.

Pantoja, the current undisputed flyweight champion – approaching two fights into his title reign, returns to his native Brazil for the first time since a 2014 victory outside the UFC – making his promotional debut on home soil, nine years deep into his tenure.

Pantoja UFC 301 Buda Mendes — Mandatory Credit: Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC

For Erceg, the relatively organizational newcomer features in a championship setting for the first time since his move from Eternal MMA back in the summer of last year. And turning in a trio of consecutive victories since his move from the Australian promotion, Erceg looks to upset the applecart in his clash with Pantoja.

Alexandre Pantoja faces off with Steve Erceg in Rio

Squaring off for the first time this week ahead of Saturday’s title fight showcase at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Pantoja and Erceg were backdropped by the region’s huge Sugarloaf mountain – which also hosts the massive Christ the Redeemer statue.

Winning spoils at 125lbs back in July of last year during International Fight Week at UFC 290, Alexandre Pantoja turned in another career win over rival, Brandon Moreno to mint himself as the undisputed flyweight champion.

Erceg UFC 302 Buda Mendes — Mandatory Credit: Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC

Returning in December at UFC 296, Pantoja landed his first successful defense of the championship with another decision win in a hard-fought rematch against Brandon Royval.

Earning his shot at Octagon just last month, Erceg turned in his first knockout win since landing in the promotion, finishing Matt Schnell with a blistering stoppage – landing himself Performance of the Night honors to boot.

UFC 301 will also host the return of Brazilian icon, Hall of Fame inductee, Jose Aldo – who competes in his final contracted bout against Jonathan Martinez, having remained sidelined for the past two years since his clash with Merab Dvalishvili.

Who wins at UFC 301 this weekend: Alexandre Pantoja or Steve Erceg?

Anthony Smith rekindles rivalry with UFC star Alex Pereira, eyes future fight: ‘I would stand in the fire with him’

Rekindling his rivalry with undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, former divisional title challenger, Anthony Smith claims if afforded…

Rekindling his rivalry with undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, former divisional title challenger, Anthony Smith claims if afforded the opportunity – he would warrant the Brazilian an in-close striking battle, ahead of his UFC 301 return next weekend.

Smith, a former light heavyweight title chaser and the current number 10 ranked divisional contender, is slated to return to the Octagon next weekend in hostile territory in Brazil, featuring at UFC 301 in a showdown with a highly-touted unbeaten prospect, Vitor Petrino.

Anthony Smith survives gnarly eye injury to win close decision in rematch Ryan Spann UFC Singapore — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Sidelined since last December, Nebraska veteran, Smith suffered a knockout loss to incoming UFC 303 co-headliner, Khalil Rountree – resulting in his third defeat in his four most recent walks under the promotional banner.

For former duel-division champion, Pereira, the incumbent light heavyweight gold holder headlined UFC 300 earlier this month, landing a blistering first round KO win over another former champion, Jamahal Hill in a one-sided victory.

Anthony Smith talks rivalry with Alex Pereira

And sharing som fiery words on Smith prior to his title coronation at 205 pounds, Pereira claimed the former Bellator MMA fighter was “stuck in a rut” amid his losing skid, however, Smith admitted he hopes to still settle their differences in the future, vowing to stand and trade with him.

Anthony Smith expected to weigh up fighting retirement after UFC Charlotte loss — Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports

“He’s fun,” Anthony Smith told Submission Radio of Alex Pereira. “Him and I have had our words back-and-forth. I don’t think there’s any real beef there, but there’s definitely something there with him and I where given the opportunity, we both would jump on it. If I can put myself in a position where, ‘Oh, holy sh*t, we are on a bit of a streak,’ and things are going well, the timing works out, I think both of use would jump on that opportunity.”

“I don’t know why that is,” Anthony Smith explained. “I don’t know if it’s ‘Real recognizes real’ a little bit. I’m one of the few guys probably that would really – I don’t know – I would step in the fire with him and he knows that.”

Alex Pereira weighs up Manchester fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 I'm there

Would you like to see Alex Pereira take on Anthony Smith in the future?

Jose Aldo rooting for Conor McGregor win against Michael Chandler at UFC 303: ‘I expect great things’

Jose Aldo will be rooting for Conor McGregor to have a successful comeback when he faces Michael Chandler at…

Jose Aldo will be rooting for Conor McGregor to have a successful comeback when he faces Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.

jose aldo conor mcgregor ufc — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

McGregor will be ending his three-year-long layoff due to a broken leg when he faces Chandler in a highly-anticipated fight. It’s a bout that has been in the works for quite some time and despite Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo being former rivals, the Brazilian says he will be rooting for the Irishman.

Jose Aldo is rooting for Conor McGregor in his comeback fight against Michael Chandler at #UFC303:

"I always root for the guys who I fought and the guys who have beat me because that just proves that I lost to the best.

I hope that he can go in there and be the Conor of old and… pic.twitter.com/oCPbmYsTHT

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 25, 2024

“I always root for the guys who I fought and the guys who have beat me because that just proves that I lost to the best. I hope that he can go in there and be the Conor of old and be aggressive, and go in there to finish the fight… I expect great things from that fight,” Jose Aldo said to MMAJunkie.

Despite McGregor knocking Aldo out in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in 2015 to win the featherweight title, the Brazilian will be cheering him on and thinks he can finish the Irishman.

Jose Aldo confirms UFC 301 fight is the last on his deal

Jose Aldo will be returning to the UFC on Saturday, May 4 when he takes on Jonathan Martinez.

Aldo had left the UFC after his loss to Merab Dvalishvili as he wanted to explore boxing options. He ended up having three boxing matches, as he will return to MMA to fight out his UFC deal as he says he will then explore more boxing options, including the match against Floyd Mayweather.

“That’s basically what I told the UFC a couple months ago: I want to do this fight, see where I’m at, see how I do, see how I perform and then I can make a decision,” Aldo said to MMAJunkie. “I’m looking at maybe a big boxing fight maybe somewhere down the line later this year. But we’ll revisit that with the UFC once this fight is done with Jonathan Martinez.

Conor McGregor confirms return fight is set for UFC 303 in June against Michael Chandler — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

“That fight with Floyd Mayweather was basically all set and done. Ali (Abdelaziz) was the one that was negotiating that and I don’t really know what happened and it ended up not panning out for us to fight in Saudi Arabia. But there’s a big event on Netflix later this year (with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson), and hopefully, I can get on that. But we’ll have to see. There’s a lot of options floating.”

Before that can happen, Aldo is focused on his return fight in MMA against Martinez in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jose Aldo confirms return fight at UFC 301 was set to come against Dominick Cruz before clash was shelved

Slated to snap his almost two-year hiatus from mixed martial arts next weekend at UFC 301 in a homecoming…

Slated to snap his almost two-year hiatus from mixed martial arts next weekend at UFC 301 in a homecoming return, former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo has confirmed his return bout was supposed to come against another former champion, Dominick Cruz, before the bout was scrapped.

Aldo, a former undisputed WEC and UFC featherweight gold holder, has been sidelined from the Octagon since 2022, most recently suffering a unanimous decision defeat in a blemish against surging number one contender, Merab Dvalishvili.

Aldo HOF 2 — Mandatory Credit: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

And slated to make his return to action next weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Hall of Fame inductee, Aldo takes on Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event of UFC 301 in a Brazilian homecoming, however, a long-anticipated clash featuring the Manaus favorite was briefly in the works.

Jose Aldo reveals Dominick Cruz fight was scrapped from UFC 301

Sharing his thoughts on a pairing with Martinez, Aldo confirmed that initially, the promotion had floated a long-rumored ‘super fight’ of olden days against former two-time bantamweight champion, Cruz, until the American veteran was forced from a pairing due to undisclosed issues.

Jose Aldo snaps retirement set to fight at UFC 301 against Jonathan Martinez in Brazil — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

“Just spoke with ‘The King of Rio’ Jose Aldo, who confirmed that Dominick Cruz was initially supposed to be his opponent at UFC 301,” Sportsnet reporter, Aaron Bronsteter posted on his official X account. “Aldo had heard that Cruz had an issue during his camp that forced him to withdraw, which led to the booking against Jonathan Martinez.”

Just spoke with "The King of Rio" Jose Aldo, who confirmed that Dominick Cruz was initially supposed to be his opponent at UFC 301.

Aldo had heard that Cruz had an issue during his camp that forced him to withdraw, which led to the booking against Jonathan Martinez.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 24, 2024

Himself sidelined since he took main event status at UFC Fight Night San Diego, Cruz suffered a devastating fourth round high-kick KO loss to most recent title challenger, Marlon Vera in the pair’s title-eliminator – snapping his two fight winning run almost two years ago.

UFC 301 takes place on May 4. from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, with an undisputed flyweight championship fight between Alexandre Pantoja, and Steve Erceg set to take main event honors.

Would you still like to see Jose Aldo fight Dominick Cruz in the future?

Manager explains why Alex Pereira won’t make fighting return at UFC 301: ‘He has to go and let the dust settle’

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira won’t be fighting in Brazil at UFC 301 after all. Pereira scored a…

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira won’t be fighting in Brazil at UFC 301 after all.

Pereira scored a first-round knockout win over Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300. With Pereira not taking much damage, he called to fight in a few weeks at UFC 301. However, Pereira’s manager, Jorge Guimarães spoke on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast and explained why he won’t be fighting on the card.

“That won’t happen, no way, especially now that he has another broken toe,” Guimarães said of Pereira fighting on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro. “He has to go to the shipyard and let the dust settle and celebrate the victory. Maybe [go to Brazil] to watch the event, but no fights for him.”

gettyimages 2148568721 612x612 1 — Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Alex Pereira not fighting at UFC 301 is a bit disappointing for fans, but due to the broken toe, he will be taking time off and making sure he’s healthy for his next title defense.

Manager Doesn’t Think Alex Pereira – Tom Aspinall fight is next

Since Alex Pereira became the light heavyweight champion, he has hinted at a future move to heavyweight.

Tom Aspinall has shown some interest in facing Alex Pereira in the future, but the Brazilian’s manager doesn’t think the fight makes sense for Aspinall.

gettyimages 2148334101 612x612 1 — Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“I don’t think [fighting Pereira] is a good idea for Aspinall at this moment,” Guimarães said. “We have to see what’s going to happen. I think it’s still too premature. Aspinall is the interim champion, why would he risk fighting ‘Poatan’? I don’t think it makes much sense [for Aspinall], I don’t think it’s a good idea [for Aspinall]. For us, it is [a good idea].”

Ultimately, the plan for Pereira is to defend his light heavyweight title next, but his manager isn’t ruling out a fight at heavyweight in the future.

Alex Pereira at heavyweight? Not now, thanks — Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato

“He has the desire, and I’ll tell you this, he’s going to do an incredible job at heavyweight,” Guimarães said. “He’s a super tough fight for anyone in the heavyweight division as well. He’s hungry to fight. He says his time is running out, and he wants to achieve the most he can. He’s extremely confident, and I think he would shine at heavyweight. Let’s see what the UFC has on the table for us, but he won’t be fighting in Rio de Janeiro.”