The UFC returned to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil arrived on Saturday, with UFC 301 headlined by a flyweight title fight.
Steve Erceg might seem a surprising option to challenge for gold, given his #10 ranking in the UFC’s flyweight division. But with a number of contenders coming off losses, injured, or having recent losses to champ Alexandre Pantoja, it was Erceg getting the nod after just three wins in the promotion.
Coming off an impressive finish unquestionably helped. As for Pantoja, he had made the first defense of his flyweight title when he defeated Brandon Royval back in December. Pantoja was looking to be the new “King of Rio” and would get the opportunity to establish that reign at home, though there was another “King” in the house.
That was original “King of Rio” Jose Aldo, who on Saturday walked to the cage wearing an actual crown. The return of Aldo was big news for fight fans; since retiring from MMA off a loss to Merab Dvalishvili, Aldo had tried his hand at boxing, and been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was also 3-1 in his last four, having ended his run, at least temporarily, being very competitive.
Following UFC 301, tune into the post-fight press conference to stay on top of all the night’s breaking news. A live stream is available above.
