The UFC returned to Rio de Janeiro on Saturday for UFC 301 and it ended up being a successful night for fighters entering the octagon on home soil.
All 13 fights featured a Brazilian, 10 of whom ended up victorious, even sweeping the four bouts in the early prelims. Alexandre Pantoja successfully retained his flyweight title as he took down up-and-coming Australian Steve Erceg, while the "King of Rio" Jose Aldo made his return to the octagon one to remember.
Here are the complete results of UFC 301:
MAIN CARD
Alexandre Pantoja defeats Steve Erceg via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title for the second time as he outlasted Erceg in the UFC 301 main event, ending the Australian's perfect start under the banner (3-1) while getting his hand raised on home soil for the first time as a champion.
Jose Aldo defeats Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Aldo surgically dispatched Martinez and ended his fellow Brazilian's six-fight win streak, as the "King of Rio" and UFC Hall of Famer won in his return to the octagon following a two-year retirement.
Anthony Smith defeats Vitor Petrino via submission at 2:00 of Round 1
Petrino's perfect 4-0 start in the UFC was no match for Smith's experience as the light heavyweight veteran baited the Brazilian into a guillotine that quickly put an end to the contest.
Michel Pereira defeats Ihor Potieria via submission at 0:54 of Round 1
Pereira's tendency for theatrics almost cost him at UFC 301 as he landed a backflip-knee that teetered on the edge of illegal, nearly erasing a standing guillotine finish that extended his win streak to eight in a row.
Caio Borralho defeats Paul Craig via KO at 2:10 of Round 2
Borralho improved to 6-0 in the UFC in emphatic fashion as he folded Craig with a straight left, knocking out the No. 13 contender in the middleweight division to take his spot.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Joanderson Brito defeats Jack Shore via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 3:35 of Round 2
Brito brought his patented aggression to the featherweight bout, showcasing immense power as he landed a leg kick that split Jack Shore's shin open and forced a doctor's stoppage.
Iasmin Lucindo defeats Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Despite being the youngest woman in the flyweight division, the 22-year-old Lucindo swept the judges' scorecards as she overwhelmed Kowalkiewicz and picked up her third consecutive UFC win (3-1).
Myktybek Orolbai defeats Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Orolbai (2-0) remains perfect in the UFC (2-0) as he handed Brener (3-1) his first loss under the banner with an efficient plan of attack that proved to be too much for the Brazilian lightweight.
Drakkar Klose defeats Joaquim Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Klose picked up a fourth consecutive victory, and ended the UFC 301 Brazilian win streak, as he survived multiple guillotine attempts by Silva en route to getting his hand raised.
Mauricio Ruffy defeats Jamie Mullarkey via TKO at 4:42 of Round 1
Ruffy came away with a flawless victory in his UFC debut, picking apart the lightweight veteran Mullarkey with a tactical barrage of strikes while maintaining his 100-per-cent finish rate in MMA.
Dione Barbosa defeats Ernesta Kareckaite via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Barbosa wasn't able to get the submission finish she kept trying for but did keep the Brazilian win streak going while also picking up her first UFC win, against fellow debutant Kareckaite.
Ismael Bonfim defeats Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brazil's winning ways continued as Bonfim demonstrated beautiful bodywork to dispatch Pichel, starting the first losing streak of the American lightweight's MMA career.
Alessandro Costa defeats Kevin Borjas via TKO at 1:35 of Round 2
It didn't take long for a Brazilian fighter to pick up a win on home soil on Saturday as Costa pummeled Borjas to open UFC 301, forcing an early stoppage with some vicious kicks and a ground-and-pound barrage.
