MMA Today: UFC 301 Main, Co-Main Event Finalized, Conor McGregor Teases Comeback, Return of TUF
Despite a bit of a dead week in combat sports, MMA Knockout’s Zain Bando is back with the sport’s biggest headlines from the past week that was.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
UFC 301 gets its marquee attractions
The UFC heads back to Brazil May 4 and will play host to two of the country’s most beloved fighters in flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and the return of Jose Aldo. Pantoja will face Steve Erceg in the night’s main event. Erceg only has three wins in the UFC, none of which are against top flight competition, making the booking a complete surprise.
It appears the depth of the flyweight division may need some re-tooling, especially given the fact Brandon Royval failed to punch his ticket to a shot at gold despite beating a former champion in his last outing. Regardless, there is a pathway forward, just not the one fans expected.
Jose Aldo is deciding to give the UFC one last dance after trying his hand at boxing for the last year or so post-retirement. Given he’s still able to compete against the best, Jonathan Martinez is the perfect stylistic opponent for Aldo and brings in a six-fight unbeaten streak against some of the sport’s best contenders.
One of those wins is against Cub Swanson, who Aldo is incredibly familiar with from his WEC days, so competing against ex-title challengers is nothing new for the 29-year-old in Martinez.
It will be interesting to see how these fights play out, as UFC 301 kicks off the month of May for the MMA leader in Brazil.
Jose Aldo earns his UFC HOF trophy.
Conor McGregor teases a UFC comeback
Conor McGregor is back in the spotlight again after wrapping up acting duties for the new movie “Road House,” which will be released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday.
In doing so, McGregor, 35, is itching for a return to the UFC for the first time since July 2021. During his press tour, McGregor said that taking part in a major movie was important to him, but he wants to get back to his roots of the fight game and make one more run at winning a title.
It remains to be seen which opponent he will be standing across from, as no movement on a return date has materialized. Nevertheless, the world will eagerly await his next move, as he has nearly spent three years away from the promotion and has not secured a win since Jan. 2020.
TUF is back for another season
TUF 32 will run this summer, with the women’s flyweight trilogy as its backdrop, featuring champion Alexa Grasso and ex-champion Valentina Shevchenko.
The coaches will look to train and mentor the next great crop of UFC fighters – men’s featherweight and middleweight – across a 12-week season.
The cast comprises 16 fighters and 14 countries, making it a heavily global season.
The entire reveal can be found below, courtesy of a March 9 promotional release.
MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHTS (145)
Edwin Cooper Jr | 31 | 6-1 | Albuquerque, N.M.
Nathan Fletcher | 26 | 8-1 | Liverpool, England
Zygimantas Ramaska | 27 | 9-2 | Ukmergė, Lithuania
Roedie Roets | 27 | 7-1 | Polokwane, South Africa
Bekhzod Usmonov | 28 | 12-4 | Tajikistan
Guillermo Torres | 37 | 7-1 | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Kaan Ofli | 30 | 11-2-1 | Melbourne, Australia
Mairon Santos | 23 | 13-1 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
MEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHTS (185)
Omran Chaaban | 23 | 6-1 | Finland
Shamidkhan Magomedov | 29 | 8-1 | Gubkinsky, Russia
Robert Valentin | 28 | 10-3 | Switzerland
Mark Hulme | 29 | 12-3 | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Ryan Loder | 31 | 6-1 | Sacramento, Calif.
Giannis Bachar | 33 | 9-2 | Athens, Greece
Thomas Theocharis | 30 | 9-5 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
June 4 will see the season commence with the first episode, airing weekly across ESPN and ESPN+.
Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko fought to a draw in Sept. 2023.
That’s a wrap for this week in combat sports. Stay tuned every Monday for more from Bando and the rest of the MMAKO team.
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