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UFC 301 went down in Rio de Janeiro last night, and while there wasn't much hype on the show coming in, it turned out to be a fun one.
UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg featured some thrilling performances from some great fighters, so following last night, what should be next for them?
As always, matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard have plenty of options on the table for them.
With that considered, here are five fights to make following UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg.
#5 UFC middleweight bout: Michel Pereira vs. Chris Curtis
It was hard not to be impressed by Michel Pereira last night. 'Demolidor' finished off Ihor Potieria in less than a minute, dropping and submitting him to pick up his third win as a middleweight.
Pereira was once considered one of the wildest fighters in the UFC, but he has now streamlined his flashier skills somewhat, and it's worked for him. The Brazilian is unbeaten in his last eight, and has looked phenomenal since moving to 185 pounds.
It's undoubtedly time to match him with a top-15 ranked foe, and so the perfect opponent for him right now could be No.15-ranked Chris Curtis.
'Action Man' is coming off a tight loss to the highly rated Brendan Allen in a late-notice fight, and while he isn't as flashy as Pereira, he's tough, hits like a truck, and is capable of dragging any foe into deep water.
We'd likely learn a lot about 'Demolidor' in this fight, too. If he could blast past Curtis, it'd be hard not to see him as a title contender. If he could outlast 'Action Man', then that'd be equally impressive and if he were to lose, we'd learn where his ceiling lies.
Overall, this fight makes plenty of logical sense and ought to be put together soon.
#4 UFC middleweight bout: Caio Borralho vs. Jared Cannonier or Nassourdine Imavov
Caio Borralho was flying under the radar coming into last night's event despite a lengthy win streak. That shouldn't be the case after his fight with Paul Craig.
'The Natural' absolutely destroyed his Scottish foe last night, crushing him in the second round with a combination that left him a quivering mess on the canvas. Put simply, Borralho is ready for an elite-level foe.
With that considered, the best bet for the Brazilian might be to wait for the winner of the upcoming fight between Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov. Both men are ranked above 'The Natural', with Cannonier at No.4 and Imavov at No.8, and they are scheduled to do battle at the upcoming UFC event in Louisville next month.
Either fight would give Borralho the opportunity to jump into title contention, and given that neither Cannonier nor Imavov will earn a title shot with a win in June, they'd have little to lose by facing 'The Natural'.
At the end of the day, Borralho earned a big fight with his win last night, and it's time for Dana White and company to give it to him.
#3 UFC light-heavyweight bout: Anthony Smith vs. Bogdan Guskov, Carlos Ulberg or Alonzo Menifield
After rising into unlikely title contention back in 2019, Anthony Smith has now settled into a familiar role for any high-level veteran fighter. He's the toughest gatekeeper in the 205 pound division, and if you can get past 'Lionheart', you're ready for the elite.
Last night saw Vitor Petrino fail that test, and whether 'Icao' can bounce back from his defeat, only time will tell. What is next for Smith, though?
The UFC could easily wait for next week's fight between hot prospects Carlos Ulberg and Alonzo Menifield, and either man would make a fine bout for 'Lionheart'. They're both heavy hitters who would look to test Smith's chin, while the veteran would probably look to ground them and hunt for a submission.
Equally, Bogdan Guskov, who cracked the top-15 last weekend with his win over Ryan Spann, would also be a fun opponent. He's less proven than either Ulberg or Menifield, but his win over Spann is arguably better than anything on the record of either of those two.
Essentially, assuming Smith remains in his role as a gatekeeper, there are plenty of options for him, and matching him with any of these three fighters would be excellent matchmaking.
#2 UFC bantamweight bout: Jose Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz
Given his age and the fact that he hadn't fought since 2022, Jose Aldo's big return to the UFC last night was always a huge risk. After all, plenty of great fighters had returned from retirement before, only to be sent packing with their tail tucked between their legs.
That wasn't the case for 'The King of Rio', though. Aldo looked excellent, picking apart the tough Jonathan Martinez with his trademark nasty striking. He even came close to putting 'The Dragon' away in the third round.
Regardless of his ageing status, Aldo is now on a solid run of 4-1 in his last five bantamweight bouts. Assuming he re-signs with the UFC, he's still a very viable fighter in the division.
However, rather than making him into a gatekeeper, a better role for him now would be to fight in some 'dream matches' that we never got when he was in his prime.
There are a number of them out there, and to start with, a clash pitting Aldo against former bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz would be perfect. Apparently, we almost got this fight last night, but it fell through for unknown reasons.
'The Dominator' has not fought since his 2022 loss to Marlon Vera, but that honestly doesn't matter. Almost every MMA fan would still be aboard to see this fight, and it could easily co-headline a pay-per-view, particularly in Brazil. If the promotion can put it together, they should go for it.
#1 UFC flyweight title: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Last night's headline bout proved to be much tougher for current flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja than many fans expected.
'The Cannibal' won out over unheralded challenger Steve Erceg, but was pushed to his limit by the Australian, who lasted five rounds and had the Brazilian hurt with his striking on multiple occasions.
It's likely that after his third five-round war in a row, Pantoja will request a leave of absence from the UFC, and it'd be hard to suggest he hasn't earned it.
However, he'll have to return to defend his title at some point, and when he does, the best opponent for him is probably going to be Muhammad Mokaev. 'The Punisher' is currently riding a six-fight win streak in the octagon, and is an impressive 12-0 overall.
If anything, Mokaev probably deserved the title shot last night, and his case only improved after last weekend's event. That event saw Alex Perez defeat Matheus Nicolau in the headliner, and of course, Mokaev dispatched Perez earlier this year.
'The Punisher' is still a raw fighter, but his wrestling skills, toughness and sheer physicality would make him a very real threat to Pantoja, particularly if 'The Cannibal' persists in fighting in the manner he did last night.
Overall, this would be an excellent flyweight title bout that could headline or co-headline a major event, hopefully later in 2024.
