Fighters Only : UFC 301 Weigh-Ins: One Fight Pulled But All Athletes Make Weight

Fighters Only

May 03, 2024

Although all 28 athletes made weight successfully, UFC 301 weigh ins did not go off without a hitch.

Although William Gomis made weight successfully, the Featherweight struggled to make his way to the scales and after weighing in, ultimately suffered issues from the weight cut, leading to his bout being pulled from the card.

The Flyweight title will be on the line as both the champion Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Steve Erceg came in bang on the 125lbs limit. Speaking to the UFC’s Official weigh in show, Erceg expressed his relief at hitting the 125lbs limit. He said:

Yeah, it was obviously tough, making Flyweight is not fun but, championship weight, first time in a while, yeah. I am happy that it’s over.

When asked how his UFC 301 cut compared to the cut he had for Matt Schnell, Erceg admitted that this one was certainly tougher, he said:

“It was definitely harder than that. Last night was uncomfortable but this morning was pretty alright. So, harder than that but not too ridiculous.”

Both co-main event athletes, Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez came in at 136lbs ahead of their Bantamweight contest. The fight will see Aldo return from retirement for one night only, in order to retire in front of his passionate Brazilian fans. Vitor Petrino tipped the scales ever so slightly heavier than Anthony Smith, with the pair coming in at 206lbs and 205.5lbs respectively. Michel Pereira came in at 186lbs ahead of his contest against Ihor Potieria, who tipped the scales at 185lbs.

In an extremely interesting Middleweight contest, Paul ‘Bearjew’ Craig will face the unbeaten Brazilian Caio Borralho. Craig came in at championship weight of 185lbs with Borralho weighing 186. Both men then joined the panel on the UFC Official Weigh in show. During his interview, Paul revealed he believes a win against the Brazilian will secure him a spot in the top 10. He said:

“ It blasts me into that top 10. It is a very stacked division but any given night, I believe, anyone in the top 15 can beat anybody and we have seen that in regards to Sean Strickland beating Adesayna, Sean Strickland then losing the belt. I believe that the way the division sits at the moment, it’s going to change hands, that title, and I believe by getting a victory over Caio, cements me in that top 10 and then I start looking higher up that division to get better fights. “

Borralho has another tough test in front of him but it is nothing he isn’t already used during his time with the UFC. Borralho explained his reasoning behind this.

“When you want to get to the level of competition to get to the belt, you need to pass through some tests. I think I have passed through some hard tests and now I am ready to pass through the tests on the rankings so, I think it is just important for me, just to feel more secure, to feel more experienced inside the octagon and I think everything I have been though is going to make a difference, especially on Saturday night… and the other fights too!”

Find the full weigh in results below:Main Event - Flyweight Title Bout: Alexandre Pantoja (125) vs Steve Erceg (125)

Co-Main Event - Bantamweight Bout: Jonathan Martinez (136) vs José Aldo (136)

Light Heavyweight Bout: Anthony Smith (205.5) vs Vitor Petrino (206)

Middleweight Bout: Michel Pereira (186) vs Ihor Potieria (185)

Middleweight Bout: Paul Craig (185) vs Caio Borralho (186)