Biggest Winners, Loser From UFC 301

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 won a unanimous decision over Jonathan Martinez (recap here).

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Biggest Winner: Anthony Smith

“Lionheart” hadn’t exactly looked great in his last few outings, losing three of four heading into his fight against Vitor Petrino. But the former light heavyweight title contender turned his luck around by pulling off a massive upset over the previously-undefeated Brazilian powerhouse, choking him out in the very first round with a slick guillotine choke (highlights). The win will give Smith some much-needed confidence moving forward after handing Petrino his first-ever defeat, which means he will now have more reason to continue calling out division king, Alex Pereira. Still, not many gave Smith a chance in this fight seeing as how he was the massive underdog, but he proved the bookies and doubters wrong in a very convincing way.

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Runner Up: Jose Aldo

The former featherweight champion turned back the hands of time with an all-time performance against Jonathan Martinez, reminding fight fans of the Brazilian bomber of old who ruled the division with an iron fist. “The King of Rio” was on point in every aspect of the fight game, out-striking and out-wrestling the much younger contender. But experience prevailed tonight and Aldo proved that he still has plenty left in the tank. And by the sound of it, he doesn’t plan on leaving the Octagon anytime soon. Whether or not he can make another run at the title, however, remains to be seen. For now, the former 145-pound champion can enjoy his victory, one he owned after nearly two years on the sidelines.

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Honorable Mention: Michel Pereira

Is it time for Pereira to earn a spot in the rankings? After last night’s explosive win, voters need to seriously consider it. The back-flipping striker took it to Ihor Potieria, sinking in a fight-ending guillotine choke in the very first round. With the win, not only did her earn a $50,000 post-fight bonus award (his fourth in a row), but he has now won eight straight fights. Pereira is a marketable fighter since he is always in entertainer mode, and another win or two will set him up for bigger fights, and the bigger paydays that come with it.

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Biggest Loser: Paul Craig

Craig felt he was being sent to Brazil like a lamb to slaughter against legit middleweight contender, Caio Boralho. Even if the promotion was using him as a stepping stone, “Bearjew” had the power to spoil the party by flipping the script. He didn’t. Instead, Craig fell victim to a barrage of strikes from “The Natural,” who stopped him via strikes in the second round. For Craig, that is now his second straight defeat, fourth in last five fights, three of them stoppages. Saying he is going through a slump would be an understatement, but he is digging himself into a hole that will be tough to climb out of. If he suffers another loss, there is no telling what will happen to his spot on the bloated UFC roster.

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For complete UFC 301 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.