Storylines: UFC 301

Steve Erceg never could have anticipated being in this position this soon, yet here he stands.

The once-beaten Australian will challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title in the UFC 301 headliner this Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Erceg, who was not even on the UFC radar a year ago, owns a 3-0 record inside the promotion and enters the Octagon with the fuel of an 11-fight winning streak in his tanks. The 28-year-old last appeared at UFC Fight Night 238, where he punched out Matt Schnell a cool 26 seconds into the second round of their March 2 pairing. Other pieces falling into place made Erceg an unlikely contender for the 125-pound throne. The former Eternal MMA champion has his work cut out for him. Pantoja, 34, has rattled off five consecutive victories, securing his spot among the sport’s pound-for-pound elite. The American Top Team ace made his first title defense on Dec. 16, when he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Brandon Royval in their UFC 296 rematch. Pantoja, who has never been finished in his 32-fight career, has delivered 18 of his 27 pro wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

The Pantoja-Erceg showdown and its resulting fallout for the flyweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC 301. Here are three more:

Time Travel

Greatness graces the stage once more, as Jose Aldo ends his retirement to face Jonathan Martinez in the bantamweight co-main event. It marks the former World Extreme Cagefighting and UFC champion’s first outing in nearly 21 months and injects some life into an otherwise pedestrian pay-per-view card. Aldo, 37, was welcomed into the pantheon of all-time greats after he ruled over the featherweight division for more than five years and engaged in memorable rivalries with Conor McGregor, Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes. The Nova Uniao cornerstone downshifted to 135 pounds in 2019 and holds a 3-3 record as a bantamweight. Aldo last suited up at UFC 278, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili on Aug. 20 despite denying all 16 of the Georgian’s takedown attempts. In Martinez, he confronts a rising contender who would like nothing more than to steal his spotlight. The Factory X standout has won six fights in a row since being knocked out by Davey Grant at UFC Fight Night 187 in March 2021. Can Aldo turn back the clock and provide one more vintage performance?

A Potential Stumbling Block

Vitor Petrino looks the part, and he now gets the opportunity to prove he can play it. The undefeated Cristiano Marcello draws his most significant assignment to date when he squares of with former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Anthony Smith in a three-round light heavyweight showcase. Petrino burst onto the scene via Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 6, 2022, made his UFC debut six months later and proceeded to topple Anton Turkalj, Marcin Prachnio, Modesta Bukauskas and Tyson Pedro in succession. Should he clear his next hurdle, the 26-year-old Brazilian would likely vault into the Top 15 rankings at 205 pounds. Sharpened and seasoned by 56 bouts as a pro, Smith remains a difficult obstacle at this late stage of his career. He holds a respectable 12-9 record in the UFC but finds himself pointed in the wrong direction, having lost three of his past four fights. A threat in multiple phases, Smith carries a 92% finish rate. Does Petrino possess the necessary tools to get past a respected veteran?

Middle Men

It has taken considerable effort from Caio Borralho and those who form his inner circle to advance to this point. “The Natural” puts his 12-fight winning streak on the line when he marches into battle against former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig in a featured middleweight attraction. Borralho, 31, operates out of The Fighting Nerds camp fronted by Flavio Alvaro and Pablo Sucupira in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and could soon emerge as a primetime player in the 185-pound weight class. He last strapped on the gloves at UFC Fight Night 231, where he outstruck Abusupiyan Magomedov to a three-round unanimous decision on Nov. 4. On the other side of the equation, Craig brings his well-established reputation as lethal opportunist to the table. All 17 of his victories have resulted in finishes, his list of victims highlighted by Mauricio Rua, Magomed Ankalaev, Jamahal Hill and Nikita Krylov. Will Borralho avoid any potential pitfalls and move ever closer to middleweight contention?