UFC 301 was all about the Brazilian fighters on the card, and the local fighters didn’t let their countrymen and women down in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.
All 13 fights featured Brazilian fighters, who went an impressive 10-3 on the night and swept the performance of the night bonuses.
According to UFC Senior Vice President of Content and International David Shaw, who conducted the post-event press conference, the $50,000 bonuses went to Mauricio Ruffy, Alessandro Costa, Michel Pereira, and Caio Borralho.
You can see the entire presser in the video below..
The event saw six of the 13 fights end in a finish. All but two of the fighters who won by finish failed to receive a bonus, Anthony Smith and Joanderson Brito.
Smith submitted Vitor Petrino via guillotine in the first round, and Brito won via TKO as his opponent, Jack Shore, suffered a gnarly leg gash. The Octagonside doctor stopped the fight for fear that his leg was broken.
Here is a look at the winners of the bonuses.
Mauricio Ruffy
You could argue that Ruffy had the most impressive performance of the night. Drawing comparisons to Conor McGregor for his precision striking and fighting stance, Ruffy made quick work of Jamie Mularkey with a variety of strikes that had me wondering how long it would take before the promising Brazilian was ranked at lightweight.
Remember his name, as he looks like a potential problem at 155 pounds.
Caio Borralho
The pride of the Fight Nerds looked studious during and after his demolition of Paul Craig, but nothing like that as landed power shots that knocked the veteran middleweight out cold.
Borrralho was aware of Craig’s submission prowess and was careful not to be lured to the ground as his opponent attempted to pull guard on multiple occasions. Instead, Borralho was patient and made his opportunities to land count.
Borralho called out Jared Cannonier after the fight, and that might be a makeable and entertaining scrap.
Alessandro Costa
On paper, it appeared Costa would have a tough time with Kevin Borjas. In reality, the Brazilian chopped down his Peruvian opponent with a vicious array of leg kicks that led to the TKO.
Costa looked strong and explosive throughout the fight. Considering he was competitive against the UFC 301 main event title challenger Steve Erceg in a previous bout, Costa has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the men’s flyweight division.
Michel Pereira
One of the most dynamic fighters in the UFC didn’t disappoint in front of his compatriots. Pereira disposed of Ihor Potieria in the first round on the strength of one of the most diverse and wild sequences you’ll see this year.
Pereira floored Potieria with a power jab. He almost immediately did a back flip, landed a knee to the chest (that was nearly ruled an illegal blow), and then promptly choked his opponent unconscious with a standing guillotine to get the stoppage win.
When asked if he wanted to call out an opponent, Pereira left it general, sticking to his usual form. Despite his eight-fight win streak, Pereira seems more concerned with putting on entertaining performances than challenging for a title.
As it is, he continues to show off a stacked toolbox of weapons, and we’re beginning to wonder if he could challenge for a title at 185 pounds–if he wanted to.
Here is a look at all of the results from UFC 301.
Main Card
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Steve Erceg via unanimous decision (48-47×2, 49-46)
- Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
- Anthony Smith def. Vitor Petrino via sub (guillotine) (R1, 2:00)
- Michel Pereira def. Ihor Potieria via first-round sub (RNC) (0:54)
- Caio Borralho def. Paul Craig via second-round KO (2:10)
Mid-Prelims
- Joanderson Brito def. Jack Shore via TKO (R2, 3:35)
- Iasmin Lucindo def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision
- Myktybek Orolbai def. Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-27 x3)
- Drakkar Klose def. Joaquim Silva via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Early Prelims
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Jamie Mullarkey via first-round TKO (4:42)
- Dione Barbosa def. Ernesta Kareckaite via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Ismael Bonfim def. Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Alessandro Costa def. Kevin Borjas via second-round TKO (1:35)
