On Saturday, May 4th, 2024, UFC is back in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 301 at Jeunesse Arena. The main event pits Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja against Steve Erceg as he challenges for the belt in a fight that promises to be action-packed and thrilling from start to finish.

Steve Erceg will challenge the reigning UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja. Being a native of Rio, Pantoja has overwhelming home support and remains unbeaten in his last five fights. In December at UFC 296, he won by unanimous decision against Brandon Royval. A fighter who can wrestle and strike with equal skill is not an easy opponent for anyone.

However, Steve Erceg from Perth, Australia has rapidly worked his way up to 11 straight victories. Even though he is new to UFC, Erceg proved that he deserves to be here when he knocked out Matt Schnell in their most recent fight. With this aggressiveness and being a durable fighter challenging him for the belt, Pantoja will truly have to show what being a champion means.

The co-main event will see the return of former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who comes out of retirement for a bantamweight showdown with Jonathan Martinez. Being a seasoned veteran in Brazil and loved by the crowd alike, Aldo is looking to re-establish his dominance over this division following a brief time away from it; however, he must first get past an opponent on six straight wins – such as Martinez – who pose great threats through his striking abilities coupled with momentum behind him.

In addition to these fights, there are many other exciting matchups scheduled for the night which should keep any fan at the edge of their seat! For example Anthony Smith vs Vitor Petrino in the light heavyweight division and Michel Pereira vs Ihor Potieria in the middleweight division where fireworks are expected in both matchups.

You can catch all the action live from Rio de Janeiro when UFC 301 airs exclusively on ESPN+. The main card will start at 10 p.m ET with prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET followed by early prelims at 6 p.m ET.

UFC 301 promises to be a night filled with drama, excitement, and high-level MMA. This event has something for everyone regardless if you’re a new or diehard fan.

With a great fight card comes money to be made, we take a look at the top betting underdogs for this weekend's stacked fight night event.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 301 Top Betting Underdogs

Steve Erceg: +155

Jose Aldo: +122

Elves Brener: +207

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Steve Erceg (+155) vs. Alexandre Pantoja

UFC 301 is supposed to be the stage for Steve Erceg’s world shocking performance against Alexandre Pantoja, who until now has been the reigning flyweight king. This man may seem like he could not hurt a fly but do not be fooled by his calm demeanor because that is far from reality; he finishes fights. His tall body conceals an amazing amount of power and knocking out Matt Schnell in his last bout only solidified what everybody already knew – Erceg belongs among the best at this weight class.

Pantoja represents strength through underrated grappling skills combined with unyielding pressure which never lets up no matter how hard things get. However, being overeager may present opportunities where length and reach advantages possessed by fighters such as Erceg can come into play against opponents like him who are too eager to finish quickly without thinking about defense first. In other words, what needs to happen here for victory on either side would be, that Erceg must find ways to disrupt the rhythm through distance management as well as using unconventional strikes that will confuse his rival – if these conditions are met then long shots might land flush on chins

Besides all else, one cannot ignore just how much momentum Erceg has been riding lately. People have described each win during his latest three bouts inside the octagon as nothing short of electrifying, there is something about him that makes fans believe anything can happen.

There can be no argument that even though he boasts an impressive record going into this championship match-up, it still seems like nobody expects much from our Australian friend when compared to Alexandre Pantoja who people see as the overwhelming favorite going in. But wait! Let us not forget about stories like Rocky Balboa or David vs Goliath where underdogs emerged victorious despite odds stacked against them. The sport wouldn’t be great without moments such these so don’t sleep on someone like Steve causing trouble for Alexander while capturing title belts along way to ultimate glory.

Jose Aldo (+122) vs. Jonathan Martinez

Even though there have been whispers of ring rust and age surrounding Jose Aldo's return at UFC 301, he is still a legend. The “King of Rio” has established his legacy on brutal leg kicks, impenetrable takedown defense, and unmatched counterstriking. These are not skills that simply vanish.

Undeniably, Jonathan Martinez is a dangerous striker. Nevertheless, his aggressive forward-moving style is what plays right into Aldo’s hands. Once Aldo establishes the distance between them, he will start hacking away at Martinez’s base with those infamous leg kicks, thus slowing down his mobility and throwing off his timing. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, no one exploits it better than Aldo does – so as Martinez becomes more and more frustrated expect lightning-fast counters to find their mark.

Another thing is that Aldo possesses the intangible factor known as a “champion's heart”. He has been through deeper parts of MMA where he faced much tougher times than what Martinez has ever encountered before stepping foot in the octagon. If this fight goes into later rounds his championship experience might be exactly what saves Jose from defeat. It will force him to reach down deep within himself allowing him to unleash some vintage Jose Aldo.

Aldo may battle Father Time but never count out true warrior who still burns with desire for victory. Even if it means coming back stronger after losing everything once again like before. This comeback isn’t about winning alone but rather showing people that even when they think everything is over legends never die since they live forever inside each one of us!

Elves Brener (+207) vs. Myktybek Orolbai

Elves Brener is looking to make a statement at UFC 301 against Myktybek Orolbai. Orolbai had an impressive UFC debut but may have met his match against a relentless Brazilian.

“Kill or be killed” isn’t just a phrase for Brener – it’s a lifestyle that he lives by inside the octagon. His striking continues to improve, but it’s on the mat where he does his best work. The pace he sets is suffocating, and as the fight goes deeper into deep waters his opportunistic submission hunting only gets more dangerous.

Orolbai is no slouch in any area of the game. He’s got solid defense on the ground with some capabilities standing up too. But nobody has been able to solve the riddle that is Elves Brenner yet.

It seems like things are also going Elves’ way momentum-wise right now; having won five straight fights leading up to this fight here shows how confident he must be feeling about himself lately whereas even though Myktybek made quite an entrance into the organization but he still has yet to face off against the competition that Brener has had to face at this point of his career.

He’s focused and hungry, always ready to pounce with those long arms of his that just keep coming at you until they find something they can latch onto. And if that something happens to be your neck? Lights out, take nap time because this won’t last long.