The energy was fantastic in Rio de Janeiro tonight for UFC 301 as some of the best fighters in the world, including a current champion and a legend of the sport, stepped into the octagon. It was a great night of fights, headlined by an instant classic championship showdown.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 301 preview.
Prelim Highlights
Elves Brener and Myktybek Orolbai put on a show in the early going during these prelims. Orolbai hurt Brener with a punch early in the first round and then went right to his grappling game, scoring a takedown and some ground control. Eventually though, Brener reversed the position and created some very exciting scrambles. The second round saw Orolbai control the grappling game for about 4 minutes, but Brener scored a big reversal in the closing seconds before getting to mount and landing some bombs. That clearly gave him some confidence in the third as it was Brener who scored an early takedown. However, with Orolbai clearly winning the first two rounds, Brener was going to need a finish to win the fight. At least, that was the case until Orolbai grabbed the fence to prevent a takedown and the referee instantly took a point away. Suddenly, Brener just needed to win the round to secure a draw. He looked to be on his way there until Orolbai landed a big knee to the body that turned the tides. With both guys back on their feet in the closing seconds and the round very close, Orolbai scored a big knockdown to make the decision much easier for the judges. It was a great showing for both guys, but Orolbai took the decision despite the lost point.
The featured prelim came to a very interesting conclusion as Joanderson Brito came out very hot against Jack Shore. Brito was incredibly aggressive, especially when it came to punishing the lead leag of his opponent with frequent leg kicks. It didn’t take long for that punishment to show itself in the form of swelling and discoloration on Shore’s leg. In the second, Shore checked a kick but his shin was cut in the process. About a minute later, the commentary team was viscerally reacting to the visual of the blood pouring out of Shore’s leg and the ref called time to have a doctor check it out. It took only a few seconds for the doctor and ref to call the fight, which has to be the first time a UFC fight was called due to a cut on a leg. An unfortunate and peculiar ending, but an impressive performance from Brito nonetheless.
Main Card Highlights
I’m not sure I can remember seeing a more obvious advantage in the striking game than the one that was there for Caio Borralho against Paul Craig. Borralho’s hands were infinitely faster and Craig simply did not seem willing to strike as he immediately desperately tried to get the fight to the ground, where he figured to have the grappling advantage. Borralho did a great job of keeping the fight on the feet and picking Craig apart before scoring a big knockout in the second round. It was a big win for the Brazilian who should see a very big fight his next time out.
Michael Pereira has been a human highlight reel in his UFC career and he may have added his very best one tonight. He was the heavy betting favorite in this bout with Ihor Potieria and it took him only a matter of seconds to score a knockdown. That’s when things got dicey as Pereira got creative, backflipping his way past the guard of his opponent and landing a knee seemingly to the head. With Potieria on the ground, a kick or knee to the head would be illegal and he was clearly hurt by the strike. The ref allowed it in the moment though and Pereira snatched a very tight standing guillotine and forced the tap out after just a few more seconds. Pereira’s celebration was put on hold briefly though as the ref and athletic commission took a closer look at that backflip knee. Eventually, it was ruled the knee landed to the chest and shoulder, at least enough to be considered a legal strike, so Pereira escaped a disqualification and instead got yet another highlight victory.
Anthony Smith def. Vitor Petrino
Petrino was another big betting favorite in this contest against Smith and to this point in the night, betting favorites were 10-0. Petrino made it clear out of the gate why he was favored, pushing the pace with the striking and looking very much like the more powerful puncher. Smith struggled to get any offense going as Petrino kept hi on his heels, but when Petrino decided to switch it up and look for a takedown, Smith managed to lock in a guillotine. Rather than looking to espace, Petrino decided to finish the takedown and could not get himself out of trouble on the ground. Smith squeezed his way to a submission victory just two minutes into the fight.
My pick: Petrino via second round knockout
Result: Smith via first round submission
Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Martinez
The energy was electric in Rio for the return of the Hall of Fame inductee in Jose Aldo. Coming out of retirement for a young contender like Martinez was a questionable decision but Aldo looked as fresh as ever, with incredibly fast hands and scary powerful kicks. Martinez is known for some dangerous leg kicks of his own, but Aldo kept him backing up for most of the fight and never really allowed him to get off any of his offense. Aldo quite literally beat Martinez to the punch through most of the fight, but Martinez did have a bright spot late in the second and it looked as though he might turn the tide. It was not to be though as Aldo landed a good left hook that rocked Martinez in the middle of the third. He then scored a big takedown and rode it out to the final bell to score a big decision victory. It was an incredibly impressive showing for a legend of the sport who suddenly seems to have a whole lot left in the tank. After the fight, Aldo said this will not be his last fight and another championship run is in his sights.
My pick: Aldo via decision
Result: Aldo via decision
Alexandre Pantoja def. Steve Erceg
This was an interesting main event because Pantoja has established himself as the champion and the best in the class, while Erceg came in as the challenger in just his fourth fight in the UFC. We occasionally see young fighters get opportunities that they simply aren’t ready for and that appeared it would be the case in the early going of this main event. Pantoja blitzed Erceg with relentless pressure and landed some big combinations, while also mixing in some strong grappling. Things turned around in the second though as Erceg began to find his range in the striking game. Momentum went back and forth in the third but Erceg landed a big elbow that cut Pantoja badly. The champ seemed to be wary of that cut because he was far less active in the fourth and it seemed as though we were heading into the fifth with the championship still very much on the line. The striking battle was very close in the final round, but Erceg interestingly shot for a couple of takedowns and got reversed both times, surrendering position to Pantoja. The champ was able to end the fight on top and would go on to earn the decision victory. It was obviously another great showing for the champ who proved his off-the-charts toughness to go along with his world-class skills. However, it was also an incredible showing for Erceg, who proved he does in fact belong in the cage with the very best in the world, something very few can say with so little experience. It would not be surprising if we see these two meet again in the future.
My pick: Pantoja via decision
Result: Pantoja via decision
The UFC will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, May 11 for UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento. Be sure to check back for a preview of the event.