2 days agoAlexandre Pantoja remained the flyweight champion after defeating Steve Erceg via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday. The first three rounds were extremely close but leaned toward Pantoja, while Erceg dominated the fourth round. With less than two minutes remaining, Erceg went for a takedown, but Pantoja quickly reversed and landed on top, closing the fight with some ground-and-pound. In 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Pantoja landed nine takedowns and 125 significant strikes. Pantoja is the first champion since Demetrious Johnson was the inaugural champion actually to defend the title twice with victories in both bouts.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoSteve Erceg came up short at UFC 301, losing to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in his first-ever UFC title fight. It was a back-and-forth war over five rounds, and it seemed like the fight would be decided in a fifth and final round. In the end, it was Pantoja who won via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). In 25 minutes of action, Erceg landed a takedown and 111 significant strikes. With the loss, Erceg's UFC record is 3-1.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoIhor Potieria suffered a first-round submission loss to Michel Pereira at UFC 301. Within moments, Pereira dropped Potieria to the ground. There was some controversy shortly after that as Pereira went for a backflip and landed with his shin on Potieria's head. As Potieria was standing up he got caught in a standing guillotine. In 54 seconds of action, Potieria landed only two significant strikes. There is a debate among fans after the fight over whether Pereira's knee strike was legal and how much it affected Potieria.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoMichel Pereira extended his winning streak to eight by submitting Ihor Potieria in the first round at UFC 301. After knocking down Potieria, Pereira went for his signature backflip that ended with his knee connecting with Potieria's face. As Potieria attempted to get up, Pereira caught him with a standing guillotine choke which ended the fight. In 54 seconds of action, Pereira landed six significant strikes.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoPaul Craig looked to get his career back on track by ending Caio Borralho's 14-fight win streak at UFC 301. However, it didn't go his way as he was knocked out by Borralho in the first round. Borralho landed a two-punch combination that hurt Craig, before knocking him out with a straight right. In 2:10 of action, Craig landed 22 significant strikes. With the loss, Craig falls into a two-fight skid and moves to 1-2 at middleweight in the UFC.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoCaio Borralho opened up the UFC 301 main card with a second-round knockout win over Paul Craig. Borralho entered the fight as a sizeable betting favorite, and he was having his way with Craig early on. Borralho outstruck Craig 27-to-15 in the first round, and in the second round, the Brazilian landed a big left cross that knocked Craig out cold. With the win, Borralho is 16-1 as a pro and is now 6-0 in the UFC. After the impressive win, Borralho should get a top-10 opponent next time out at middleweight.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 days agoVitor Petrino suffered his first career loss as he suffered a first-round submission loss to Anthony Smith at UFC 301. Petrino called out Smith after his last win, and early on, the two were trading shots with one another. As Petrino shot in for a takedown, Smith got ahold of his neck which forced him to tap. With the loss, Petrino is 11-1 as a pro and is now 4-1 in the UFC. Petrino will likely face an unranked opponent next time out as he looks to build himself back up.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 days agoAnthony Smith scored a first-round submission win over Vitor Petrino on the main card of UFC 301. Smith entered the bout as a sizeable underdog as he was 1-3 in his last four fights. After the two were trading shots, Petrino went in for a takedown and Smith got ahold of the Brazilian's neck, which forced Petrino to tap due to the guillotine choke. With the win, Smith is now 38-19 as a pro and 13-9 in the UFC. Smith will likely get a top-10 opponent next after the upset win.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 days agoJonathan Martinez suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo in the co-main event of UFC 301. Martinez entered the bout as the favorite, as the 12th-ranked bantamweight was facing the returning Aldo who hadn't competed in MMA since August of 2022. The first round was competitive, but Martinez was outstruck 17-to-16. In the second and third rounds, Aldo took over as Martinez was outstruck 30-to-20 in the second round and 54-to-44 in the third round. With the loss, Martinez is now 19-5 as a pro and 10-4 in the UFC.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 days agoJose Aldo scored a unanimous decision win over Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event of UFC 301. The Brazilian was fighting in MMA for the first time since 2022 and entered the bout against the 12th-ranked bantamweight as the underdog. The first round was very competitive, but Aldo took over in the second and third rounds, as he outstruck Martinez in all three rounds. He ended up out-landing Martinez 101-to-80 to get a clear-cut decision win. With the win, Aldo is now 32-8 and 14-7 in the UFC, but that was the final fight of his contract so his future in MMA is uncertain.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
5 days agoOn Saturday night in the main event of UFC 301, the flyweight title is on the line as flyweight contender Steve Erceg looks to defeat Alexandre Pantoja to become the new champion. Erceg gets this title shot after knocking out Matt Schnell two months ago. That was just his third fight inside the Octagon. DraftKings has him as the underdog with a salary of $7,300. In his UFC tenure, Erceg is averaging 83.6 fantasy points per fight. Erceg has frequently been referred to as an unlikely title-fight challenger. But on the other hand, Pantoja has defeated several top-10 contenders, and other contenders aren't available at this moment.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
5 days agoUFC heads to Brazil as Alexandre Pantoja (27-5) defends his flyweight title against Australia's Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday. Pantoja defeated Brandon Moreno for the third time in 2023 to claim the belt, in what was one of the better fights of the year. He then defeated Brandon Royval by decision for his first title defense. DraftKings has him as the favorite with a salary of $8,800. In his UFC tenure, Pantoja is averaging 87.6 fantasy points per fight. Pantoja is 11-3 in the UFC.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
5 days agoAfter Makhmud Muradov withdrew from the card with an infection, Ihor Potieria stepped in on short notice to face off against Michel Pereira on Saturday at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. Potieria (21-5) was originally slated to face Shara Magomedov on June 22 but was moved to the UFC 301 card instead. He snapped his two-fight losing skid with a unanimous-decision win over Robert Bryczek at UFC Vegas 86 in February. DraftKings has him as the underdog with a salary of $6,600. In his UFC tenure, Potieria is averaging 50.1 fantasy points per fight. Potieria is 2-3 in the UFC.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
5 days agoMichel Pereira (30-11) is set to take on always dangerous Ihor Potieria on the main card of UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In his most recent outing to the octagon, Pereira squared off against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299. He finished Oleksiejczuk via first-round rear-naked choke. DraftKings sees Pereira as the favorite with a salary of $9,600. In his UFC career, he averages 77.0 fantasy points per contest. This is an opportunity for Pereira to jump in the rankings and prove that he's a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
5 days agoPaul Craig is set to open Saturday's UFC 301 pay-per-view main card in Rio de Janeiro, as he looks for an upset against Brazil's own Caio Borralho. Former light heavyweight fighter, Craig looks to bounce back from his first defeat since moving to middleweight. In his last bout, he was defeated by Brenan Allen via submission. DraftKings sees Craig as a huge underdog with a salary of $6,700. Throughout his UFC career (17 bouts), he averages 58.1 fantasy points per contest.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
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