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Steve Erceg was perhaps one round away from pulling off the upset at UFC 301.

However, the opportunity slipped away from the game Australian in the fifth round against Alexandre Pantoja, when the reigning champion countered a takedown and assumed top position, ultimately bleeding out the clock to clinch his victory from there. While Erceg often got the better of his opponent during exchanges, that decision might have cost him dearly, as Pantoja earned scoredcards of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 from the cageside judges.

“I thought that if I could win that last round at least, I’d give myself a chance,” Erceg said in his post-fight interview. “I just blew it.”

Erceg was something of a surprise title challenger, with just three promotional triumphs and less than a year in the promotion under his belt heading into UFC 301. However, he proved that he belonged in Saturday’s main event, as he made Pantoja work throughout the fight. “Astro Boy” believ…

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Drakkar Klose jovially accused Daniel Cormier of dissing him following his UFC 301 win over Joaquim Silva.

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Klose earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Silva in front of the Brazilian’s home crowd in Rio de Janeiro. In his post-fight interview, Klose accused Cormier of taking a diss at him, which “DC” denied.

Klose later explained his accusations in the post-fight press conference. Klose was fulfilling media duties earlier in the week when he called out Paul Felder. Cormier, who was also present on the occasion, said that all Klose would do in potential fight against Felder would be to hold “The Irish Dragon” against the cage.

While Klose emphatically won the first round against Silva, the later rounds were quite closely contested. Klose was admittedly reminded of Cormier’s dig at him as he clinched Sliva against the cage for a substantial part of the later rounds.

“I had called Paul Felder out and he [Cormier] was…

Ian Garry is losing hope of a future matchup against Colby Covington.

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Garry has been rallying for a clash against Covington for a while now, which has invited signature trash talk from the former welterweight title challenger. Covington has taken multiple digs at Garry and his wife, also laying down multiple stipulations needed to fight the Irish contender. While Garry has accused Covington of ducking him, the former interim champ recently turned down a potential fight, citing a lack of seriousness from the Irishman.

Currently training at Chute Boxe Diego Lima in Brazil, Garry was in attendance at UFC 301 on Rio de Janeiro. “The Future” reiterated his wish to fight Covington, doubling down on the ducking accusations in an interview with ESPN. Garry also claimed that the fight was offered to Covington, who turned it down. The undefeated welterweight prospect is now gradually losing hope of the matchup coming to fruition.

“Colby needs to stop …

"A new king is coming."

Mauricio Ruffy has a message for Islam 👀#UFC301 pic.twitter.com/8etD0Qnuul

— UFC (@ufc) May 4, 2024

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Mauricio Ruffy put lightweight champ Islam Makhachev on notice after a flawless debut at UFC 301.

Ruffy picked apart Australian veteran Jamie Mullarkey on the feet to score a first-round TKO win in front of his home fans at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. “One Shot” issued a warning to Makhachev in his post-fight interview, reminding the champ of his Dana White's Contender Series win over Raimond Magomedaliev.

"I have a message for Islam Makhachev, a nice message,” Ruffy said. “Hey, enjoy your days at the top. I know you are upset because I beat your friend, but enjoy your days because a new king is coming."

In addition to a stance that was somewhat similar to Conor McGregor’s, Ruffy’s striking and focus also drew comparisons with “Notorious” from UFC analyst Din…

Michel Pereira is looking quite comfortable at 185 pounds.

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The flashy Brazilian earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his quick finish of Ihor Potieria in a featured middleweight clash at UFC 301 on Saturday night. Pereira locked in a guillotine choke and forced a tap from his opponent just 54 seconds into the opening stanza of their bout at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

One bout earlier, Caio Borralho secured a $50,000 bonus of his own for a knockout of Paul Craig in their middleweight pairing. “Borralho” kept the action on the feet for the majority of the contest, and that paid off in Round 2, when he wobbled his foe with a pair of hooks and rendered him unconscious with a straight left at the 2:10 mark of the period.

Elsewhere, lightweight prospect Mauricio Ruffy made an impression in his Octagon debut, finishing Jamie Mullarkey inside of a round to receive a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check. A flying knee from R…

Alexandre Pantoja lengthened his reign atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division but left the cage with a few battle scars for his troubles.

“The Cannibal” leaned into his all-terrain skills and big-fight experience, as he retained his 125-pound title with a unanimous decision over Australian challenger Steve Erceg in the UFC 301 headliner on Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Pantoja (28-5, 12-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judges, putting his stamp on a sixth straight victory in an outright war of wills.

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Erceg (12-2, 3-1 UFC), who entered the Octagon on an 11-fight winning streak, was game and almost certainly boosted his stock in defeat. He cut Pantoja twice with well-timed elbow strikes, opening lacerations on his scalp and near his right eye. Erceg countered effectively throughout and pieced together clean punching combinations against the respected champion. Pantoja pre…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship hosts its next pay-per-view spectacle in the vibrant seaside city of Rio de Janeiro. UFC 301 is set to unfold on May 4 at Farmasi Arena, with a showdown between reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja taking on the challenge of streaking contender Steve Erceg. Stay tuned to Sherdog.com at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. ET to catch t live play-by-play coverage and round-by-round scoring of the entire event. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Costa (-125), Borjas (+105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bonfim (-535), Pichel (+400)Round 1 Sherdog S…

Joanderson Brito carved out a path to victory through most unlikely means.

The fast-rising Chute Boxe featherweight moved one step closer to contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division with a second-round technical knockout of Jack Shore in the featured UFC 301 prelim on Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Shore (17-2, 6-2 UFC) suffered a gruesome shin laceration after absorbing a leg kick from the Brazilian, resulting in a doctor stoppage 3:35 into Round 2.

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Brito (17-3-1, 5-1 UFC) controlled a majority of the action until the anticlimactic conclusion. He pursued clinches and unleashed multiple low kicks on Shore in both rounds, his efforts eventually opening a sizeable wound. Blood streamed down the Welshman’s leg onto his foot and canvas. Referee Joao Claudio Soares paused the bout to allow the cageside physician to examine the damage, at which point the decision was made to wave it off. Meanwhile, Fight House…

Welcome to the #UFCHOF, @ShogunRua 👏

Mauricio Rua will join the 2024 HOF class! pic.twitter.com/EyKZnuQMBe

— UFC (@ufc) May 5, 2024

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Mauricio Rua is headed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame this summer.

“Shogun” will be enshrined in the “Pioneer” wing during a ceremony on June 27 in Las Vegas. Rua was a UFC light heavyweight champion and the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix champion.

“Shogun Rua is one of the greatest Brazilian athletes in combat sports history,” said UFC president and CEO Dana White. “Shogun had an incredible run in Pride and UFC, and he was fearless inside the Octagon. His fights against Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and Dan Henderson represent some of the most memorable moments in UFC history and helped put Brazilian MMA on the map. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.”<…

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Matt Brown has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

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The 43-year-old Ohio native revealed his decision via social media on Saturday. Brown last appeared at UFC on ABC 4 in May 2023, when he scored a first-round knockout of Court McGee. “The Immortal” exits the sport with a 24-19 career mark that was compiled over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2005.

“Not doing it again, I’m out,” Brown wrote. “That’s the announcement. My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help the community and the world.

“Thanks to Dana White and the UFC for giving me a platform to express myself and my brand but it is time to move on to bigger, better things!”

A competitor on Season 7 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Brown is the UFC welterweight division’s all-time leader in finishes (15) and knockouts (13). He enjoyed h…

A featherweight clash between two former Dana White’s Contender Series competitors has been added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on June 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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Lucas Almeida (14-3) will lock horns with Timothy Cuamba (8-2) in what will mark the latter’s first featherweight outing under the Ultimate Fighting Championshipbanner. The news was first reported on X (formerly known as Twitter) by MMAHeads. The bout was subsequently confirmed by Almeida on his social media handles.

Following a successful promotional debut against Michael Trizano in June 2022, Almeida is now on a two-fight skid. The Brazilian succumbed to a Round 2 arm-triangle submission in his sophomore UFC outing against Pat Sabitini in June 2023 followed by a Round 1 technical knockout loss suffered at the hands of Andre Fili at UFC 296 in December last year.

Meanwhile, Cuamba is coming off a hard-fought split-decision loss to Bolaji Oki in a short notice promo…

A lightweight clash pitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 winner Kurt Holobaugh against Kaynan Kruschewsky has been added to a UFC Fight Night card set to take place at the Apex in Las Vegas on July 20.

The news was first reported by MMAjunkie.com on X (formerly known as Twitter). The report was later confirmed by Holobaugh in an Instagram post.

The bout against Kruschewsky will serve as the second outing of Holobaugh's third Ultimate Fighting Championship stint. "The Hurt" will face the Brazilian coming off a unanimous decision loss to Trey Ogden in March that snapped a three-fight win streak for the Louisiana native.

As for Kruschewsky, "Bahia" will enter the Octagon on the heels of a brutal Round 1 knockout loss at the hands of Elves Brener in his promotional debut back in November 2023. The loss snapped a seven-fight undefeated streak for the former Jungle Fight lightweight champion, who earned a UFC contract thanks to a Round 1 technical submissio…