Brendan Miller
The UFC returns to Brazil on Saturday night. The promotion returns to South America for UFC 301 with a lighter fight card than usual heading to Rio de Janeiro. The main event pits flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja against rising contender Steve Erceg. It is the first time that fighters from the 125-pound division will headline a PPV since Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno did so at UFC 256 in December 2020.
Pantoja has the chance to fight at home for the first time since 2013 and for the first time in the UFC. After minor setbacks against Deiveson Figueiredo and Askar Askarov in 2019 and 2020 respectively, the Brazilian rattled off five consecutive victories to win the title and set up a title defense. Erceg, in turn, is fighting for the title in just his fourth appearance in the UFC, after debuting in the promotion in June 2023.
The undercard is lacking in many ways, but has gained momentum with the addition of UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo. The former featherweight king will face Jonathan Martinez in the bantamweight fight scheduled for the co-main event. Vitor Petrino will face veteran light heavyweight Anthony Smith, Michel Pereira will face Ihor Potieria in the middleweight contest and another fight at 185 pounds opens the PPV when Caio Borralho faces Paul Craig.
Below is the full UFC 301 fight card along with the latest odds. Check back throughout the week for the latest news, features and other content about this great event.
UFC 301 fight card, odds
- Alexandre Pantoja (c) -190 vs. Steve Erceg +160, flyweight title
- Jonathan Martinez -160 vs. José Aldo +135, bantamweight
- Vitor Petrino -500 vs. Anthony Smith +375, light heavyweight
- Michel Pereira -550 vs. Ihor Potieria +400, middleweights
- Caio Borralho -550 vs. Paul Craig +400, middleweights
- Joanderson Brito -150 vs. Jack Shore +125, featherweight
- Iasmin Lucindo -420 vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz +320, women’s strawweight
- Myktybek Orolbai -275 vs. Elves Brener +225, lightweights
- Drakkar Klose -160 vs. Joaquim Silva +135, lightweight
- Mauricio Ruffy -180 vs. Jamie Mullarkey +155, lightweight
- Dione Barbosa -220 vs. Ernesta Kareckaite +180, women’s flyweight
- Ismael Bonfim -550 vs. Vinc Pichel +400, light weights
- Alessandro Costa -130 vs. Kevin Borjas +110, flyweight
UFC 301 Information
- Date: may 4th
- Location: Arena Farmasi – Rio de Janeiro
- Start time: 10pm ET (main card)
- How to watch: ESPN + PPV
UFC 301 Countdown
Who wins UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now for in-depth UFC 301 picksall from the MMA expert who cashed in more than $1,500 on his 2023 UFC main card picks, and find out.
