The Vanquished: What's Next for the UFC 301 Losers?

Veteran hands prevailing over fledgling up-and-comers defined the general vibe of the main card of UFC 301. The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s visit to Rio de Janeiro on Saturday produced enough key moments for the fervent hometown crowd to cheer about throughout the evening. Each of the 13 fights on the showcase featured fighters hailing from the South American MMA hotbed and 10 of them triumphed, with the partisan crowd in full throat throwing their weight behind the fighters. Unfortunately, for those who lost, whether as the local favorite or as visitors in hostile territory, the defeat can mean a step back in competition or carry much more adverse consequences. With that, let’s take a look at possible matchup options for the vanquished fighters on the main card.

Paul Craig

It’s the same song and different verse for Craig, who despite his talent and wealth of experience, somehow seems to falter when the situation demands to deploy his prime ammunition. In saying that, nothing can be taken away from Caio Borralho, who extended his win streak to 6-0 in the UFC with a knockout victory over Craig. The Brazilian was the aggressor in the opening stanza, stupefying “Bearjew” on multiple occasions and inviting the fight back to the striking department every time his foe tried to invite a scramble on the ground. “The Natural” turned up the heat in the second round and capitalized on an opportune moment to land a couple of shots before punctuating the finish with a clean left hook.

That makes four losses in five contests for Craig, who was once touted as a championship-caliber prospect. While a disorderly stretch of this nature could mean the end of the road for several, Craig occupies the No. 13 spot on the middleweight ladder and will unlikely face the axe for now. With the imminent tumble down the rankings, he should look at someone like Chris Curtis for his next Octagon outing. Curtis has registered two victories in the last five fights and the matchup can be the perfect stage for the fighters to bond over the mutual challenge of rebuilding their standing in the division.

Ihor Potieria

Michael Pereira’s flamboyant style paid off handsomely as he registered a quick first-round submission win over Potieria in the main card fixture. “Demolidor” staggered Potieria with a jab, harked back on his trademark chaotic choices, back-flipping onto his ground foe, and immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke when his opponent tried to get back on his feet. The finish was clocked at the 0:54 mark of the first round as Pereira walked away with the eighth straight victory of his formidable run.

"The Duelist" stepped in as a replacement to face Pereira when Makhmud Muradov was forced to pull out of the originally scheduled fight due to an infection. The Ukrainian was scheduled to face Sharabutdin Magomedov on UFC on ABC 6 on June. 22. Will he be able to make a turnaround within the swift window? Only time will tell. If not, he matches up well against Armen Petrosyan in a prove-it contest, and can potentially make a case that he hasn’t truly been able to showcase his full potential yet.

Vitor Petrino

Anthony Smith entered fight week claiming that he would show that “there are levels to this game” and he did just that against Petrino, a surging, previously undefeated talent. The 26-year-old, with momentum in his sails, strived to exude invincibility which led to a tactical blunder. He hoisted Smith in the air for a takedown that afforded the opportunity for the American to lock in a guillotine choke. Petrino slammed Smith on the canvas anticipating that the impact might help him break free from the grip, but Smith only cinched the hold tighter, securing the finish at the 2:00 mark of the opening frame.

Even with this loss, there’s no need for Petrino to be alarmed. At 26, he has a vast career to look forward to and this loss should be a perfect learning lesson for him. The Brazilian pairs well against Ryan Spann, a veteran combatant who guards the top-15 rankings in the 205-pound division despite bearing the sting of a three-fight losing skid. Spann succumbed to a TKO loss to Bogdan Guskov in his last encounter on April 27. Their shared prospect regarding the availability to compete again tips the scale in favor of the matchup.

Jonathan Martinez

“The King of Rio” proved that a leopard can’t change its spots even in the presence of a hungry challenger. Jose Aldo, who returned to action after announcing his retirement in 2022, delivered a flawless performance against the streaking Martinez in the presence of a boisterous home crowd. The opening round served to allow the bantamweights to size one another up, moments of solid skills displayed by both. Aldo picked up the pace in the second, outboxing his rival in a sterling performance that evoked nostalgia for fight fans all around. The third round proved to be the exclamation that would define the Brazilian’s vintage effort as he scooped Martinez for a takedown and ended up on top pounding solid strikes on his opponent. The judges scored the fight 30-27 in Aldo’s favor who graciously tried to console a heartbroken Martinez in the aftermath of the fight.

It was a commendable effort by Martinez regardless of the result. At 30, he has enough time to mount a run that will lead him to a championship shot eventually, starting with a matchup against Mario Bautista, which in our opinion makes sense for all parties involved. Bautista is on a six-fight win streak, a similar run that Martinez carried to the fight against Aldo. Both fighters occupy serial standings in the divisional ladder and a win would take them closer to the title contention picture of the logjammed bantamweight landscape.

Steve Erceg

Championship fight experience was the currency in Alexandre Pantoja’s unanimous decision triumph against Erceg. From the opening bell it was clear that Pantoja fancied his chances in the grappling department, while Erceg rolled the dice on leveraging his sublime striking skills. It was all Pantoja in the first round as he pressured his foe against the cage, staggered with straight punches and leg kicks, and tested the mettle of the challenger on the ground. Erceg mounted a valiant reply in the second round, outstriking “The Cannibal,” while sneaking in elbows in the close range and opening a cut on Pantoja.

The next two rounds played out in pendular motion and it was seemingly 2-2 going into the final round. That’s where Pantoja’s experience shone through as he capitalized on Erceg’s tactical mistakes from brief surges, securing a final takedown and enough control time en route to a 48–47, 48–47, 49–46 unanimous decision win.

Erceg’s performance must have squelched any lingering doubts about his shot at the championship gold. All he needs to do is look skyward at the ranked fighters in the 125-pound bracket and scale the heights, one challenger at a time. Needless to say, he might be just a few pit stops away from a title shot again and we believe a matchup against either Amir Albazi or Kai Kara-France would fire up the Australian in that bid. Albazi is basking on the glory of a six-fight win streak while Kara-France has lost two fights in a row.