UFC 301 Results: Winners And Losers From Pantoja Vs. Erceg Fight Card

UFC 301 saw a legend close out his UFC contract with a win and a hometown fighter defend his UFC flyweight crown in the main event.

In the headlining bout of UFC 301, Alexandre Pantoja, fighting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first time as a member of the UFC roster, defeated Steve Erceg in a hard-fought five-round battle to retain his UFC flyweight belt with a decision win. In the evening's co-main event, UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo came out of retirement to dispatch the up-and-coming Jonathan Martinez, sweeping the fight on the judge's scorecards.

Before the headlining contests, Anthony Smith stunned the crowd by submitting the previously undefeated Vitor Petrino in the first round. Also on the main card, the always entertaining Michel Pereira picked up another first-round stoppage win.

UFC 301 took place on Saturday, May 4, at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main card streamed on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

We look at the winners and losers from UFC 301, along with the full results from the fight card and the bonus winners from the event.

UFC 301 Winners

Alexandre Pantoja: The UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja retained his belt with a unanimous decision win in a closely contested scrap with Steve Erceg.

In defending his title, Pantoja showcased his usual fighting style, employing pressure, aggression, takedowns, and ground skills to pick up the win. Pantoja's striking left much to be desired, but if you've watched any of his past bouts, that was not a surprise. He is sometimes sloppy and less than stellar with his defense in that department. However, when he connects, he does so with power.

Pantoja did well in pressuring Erceg, making him defend takedowns, and spending time in top position on the mat. With the win, Pantoja is on a six-fight winning streak with two title defenses to his name.

Jose Aldo: Jose Aldo came out of retirement to lend his name and UFC Hall of Fame credentials to the UFC 301 pay-per-view. I was one of the people who questioned if Aldo’s presence on the card was a way to help the UFC while also fighting out his UFC contract. Well, after 15 minutes of action, Aldo showed that, at 37, he is still a fantastic fighter.

Aldo looked fantastic in defeating Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision. He used his speed, experience, skills, and pressure to dominate the fight.

Aldo’s future is unclear, but his performance on Saturday night suggests that the former UFC champion has options to explore, and he will most likely have many suitors knocking at his door.

Anthony Smith: A significant betting underdog against Vitor Petrino, Anthony Smith delivered one of his best performances as a UFC fighter at UFC 301. Smith, who was coming off a disappointing TKO loss to Khalil Rountree Jr., took advantage of the previously undefeated Vitor Petrino's lack of experience to secure a guillotine choke submission after Petrino left his neck exposed on a takedown attempt.

Smith might be coming close to the end of his career, but he is a veteran who has seen and fought through a lot more than some of these young up-and-coming contenders.

Saturday's victory was an outstanding bounce-back performance for the 35-year-old Smith.

Michel Pereira: Wow! Michel Pereira didn’t work long at UFC 301, but he packed a lot of action into the 54 seconds his fight opposite Ihor Potieria lasted.

Pereira dropped Potieria with a punch. Then, in his unconventional style, he did a back flip with a twist to take top position on the mat, which led to him securing a guillotine choke stoppage.

The win gave Pereira three straight first-round stoppage wins and extended his unbeaten streak to eight.

The win did not come without controversy as Pereira's knee might have clipped Potieria’s head during his flip, which could be ruled a knee to the head of a downed opponent.

Caio Borralho: Caio Borralho showed no respect for Paul Craig's striking in their middleweight bout. Knowing he did not need to worry about Craig's striking allowed Borralho to pressure Craig and move forward. Craig keeping his head on the center line with his chin in the air made things easier for Borralho.

Borralho moved to 6-0 with his second-round knockout win over Craig.

Joanderson Brito: Joanderson Brito came out fast and aggressive against Jack Shore, landing nasty low kicks while pushing Shore to the fence and keeping him there. It was those leg kicks that brought the fight to an end as the doctor waved things off after a cut opened on Shore’s shin. The reason for the stoppage was that the doctor was concerned about a broken leg.

With the win, Brito is on a five-fight winning streak, with five stoppages.

Iasmin Lucindo: A big betting favorite, Iasmin Lucindo dominated Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 301.

Lucindo has fast hands and power, but her youth and inexperience had her throwing everything with 100 percent power, something that a more defensive-minded for could take advantage of.

On a positive note, Lucindo was focused and did not bite on Kowalkiewicz’s feints. She also did a nice job of countering and landing combinations whenever Kowalkiewicz closed distance.

With the win, Lucindo will likely be in the top 15 of the strawweight division next week. She is now 3-1 in the UFC and on a three-fight winning streak.

Myktybek Orolbai: Myktybek Orolbai moved to 155 after making his UFC debut at 170 in November with a submission win over Uros Medic. His power translated with the move to the lighter weight division.

Orolbai seemed to hurt his UFC 301 foe Elves Brener a few times with his striking, and although he was unable to finish the fight on the feet, he used his takedowns to take things to the mat where he picked up points via ground strikes.

One thing to note about Orolbai is that he struggled when he was put on his back on the ground. He and his team need to work on that.

Drakkar Klose: Drakkar Klose did a good job of using power, pressure, and activity in the first round, but he faded as the fight went on, which allowed Joaquim Silva to grab the momentum and come close to taking the decision.

With the win, Klose is on a four-fight winning streak.

Joaquim Silva: With his decision loss to Drakkar Klose at UFC 301, Joaquim Silva has not won back-to-back fights since he went 3-0 in his first bouts with the promotion.

Silva might have been on the wrong side of the scorecards on Saturday night, but he did not go out without making things interesting in the third round, as he seemed to come close to finishing the fight in the third round.

Mauricio Ruffy: Mauricio Ruffy looked very good in his UFC debut. The 27-year-old Brazilian was poised and focused. He showed fast striking, good power, an ability to mix up his techniques, sound defense, and a solid fight IQ in finishing Jamie Mullarkey in the first round.

Make a note, Mauricio Ruffy’s next fight should be on your “must-watch” list.

Ismael Bonfim: Ismael Bonfim looked very good during his 15-minute matchup against Vince Pichel. The 28-year-old showed good speed throughout the bout. He was especially effective in pressuring Pichel and never letting his opponent get comfortable.

The biggest takeaway from this fight was Bonfim’s fight IQ. Whenever he hurt Pichel but could not immediately get the finish, Bonfim backed off, conserved energy, and reset his attack.

While it may be premature to label Bonfim as a flyweight to watch, his performance in this fight got my interest.

With his victory, Bonfim is 2-1 in the UFC with his loss coming to Benoit St. Denis.

Alessandro Costa: Alessandro Costa and Kevin Borjas put on a spirited first round in their flyweight matchup. Both men were active with striking combinations, but what stood out in the first five minutes of the bout was the combatants' defense.

Costa took over in the early moments of the second round when he landed several nasty low kicks that hurt Borjas. With his opponent unable to defend and seemingly unable to switch stances, Costa dropped Borjas to the mat, finishing things with ground strikes.

Costa is now 2-2 in the UFC.

UFC 301 Losers

Steve Erceg: In just his fourth UFC fight, Steve Erceg showed that he belongs among the elite of the UFC's flyweight division, while also showing that he has some learning to do.

Erceg has great striking, but his decision to shoot for takedowns in the fifth and final round of a close title fight displayed a lack of situational awareness.

When the scores were read, Erceg looked frustrated by the fact that one round decided the fight. That's something that won't sit well with him when he looks back on how the fifth round played out.

Jonathan Martinez: Known for his nasty leg kicks, Jonathan Martinez saw his six-fight winning streak end on Saturday night when Jose Aldo shut down his kicking game. Martinez didn't look terrible, but Aldo's pressure and the ability to take away his opponent's kicking game showed that Martinez needs to develop a second line of offense when kicks are not available to him.

Martinez landed only seven leg kicks against Aldo. In his previous scrap, a decision win over Adrian Yanez, Martinez connected on 29 leg kicks.

Vitor Petrino: Vitor Petrino entered his UFC 301 matchup opposite Anthony Smith with an undefeated record and as a substantial betting favorite. He left the Octagon 120 seconds after the start of the fight with his first loss and an important lesson.

Smith submitted Petrino via guillotine choke after Petrino left his neck exposed during a takedown attempt. The fight's outcome could have been the hubris of a young, undefeated fighter, or it could have been due to a technical mistake. Whatever the reason, expect Petrino to learn something from his first career setback.

Paul Craig: Paul Craig's record is 1-4 in his past five outings. Craig is an excellent grappler, but his lack of striking prevents him from competing against the best in MMA.

Jack Shore: Jack Shore had no answer for the speed of Brito’s striking and leg kicks.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Thirty-eight-year-old Karolina Kowalkiewicz saw her four-fight winning streak end with a loss to 22-year-old Iasmin Lucindo. Kowalkiewicz did not have the speed to deal with her opponent in the matchup.

Elves Brener: Elves Brener's three-fight winning streak ended on Saturday against Myktybek Orolbai. He struggled with his opponent's striking, but he found success when he took things to the mat and earned top position. Had he been more aggressive with wrestling earlier, perhaps Brener would have come out on top in this scrap.

Vinc Pichel: Vinc Pichel did his best to hang with his younger opponent, Ismael Bonfim, but the 41-year-old faded as the fight went on. He had no answer for the speed, pressure and tenacity of his foe in this matchup. With the loss, Pichel fell to 7-4 in the UFC. With the setback he is on the first losing skid of his career, with two losses in a row.

Kevin Borjas: Kevin Borjas had a solid first round against Alessandro Costa, but his defense, which was solid in the first five minutes, failed him in the second round when Costa caught him with a nasty low kick. Borjas did not switch stances when he was hurt, which allowed his opponent to take over the fight, which Costa finished in the second stanza.

Borjas dropped to 0-2 in the UFC.

UFC 301 Full Results

Alexandre Pantoja defeats Steve Erceg via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Jose Aldo defeats Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Anthony Smith defeats Vitor Petrino via submission at 2:00 of Round 1 (Guillotine choke in clinch)

Michel Pereira defeats Ihor Potieria via submission at 0:54 of Round 1 (Guillotine choke standing)

Caio Borralho defeats Paul Craig via KO at 2:10 of Round 2 (Punches to head at distance)

Joanderson Brito defeats Jack Shore via TKO at 3:35 of Round 2 (Doctor stoppage due to leg injury)

Iasmin Lucindo defeats Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Myktybek Orolbai defeats Elves Brenner via unanimous decision (29-27 x 3)

Drakkar Klose defeats Joaquim Silva via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Mauricio Ruffy defeats Jamie Mullarkey via TKO at 4:42 of Round 1 via punches to head at distance.

Dione Barbosa defeats Ernesta Kareckaite via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Ismael Bonfim defeats Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Alessandro Costa defeats Kevin Borjas via TKO at 1:35 of Round 2 via punches to head from mount.

UFC 301 Bonus Winners

Four fighters won $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonuses:

Mauricio Ruffy for his first-round TKO win over Jamie Mullarkey.

Alessandro Costa for his second-round TKO win over Kevin Borjas.

Michel Pereira for his first-round submission win over Ihor Potieria.

Caio Borralho for his second-round knockout win over Paul Craig.

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