Breaking: Two Contender Series alums set to clash at UFC 301

It appears as though UFC 301 is set to feature a clash between a pair of Contender Series alums, who will be looking to get back on track in the flyweight division.

Despite not being officially announced, the event is reportedly scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 4. According to ESPN Deportes' Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas in a flyweight bout has been added to the event. He wrote:

"Per sources: Alessandro Costa [Brazil flag] vs. Kevin Borjas [Peru flag] set for UFC event on May 4th."

Tweet regarding Costa vs. Borjas being added to UFC 301 [Image courtesy: @CCLegaspi - X]

Costa, 13-4, is coming off his unanimous decision loss to Steve Ercegg this past November at UFC 295. He hasn't had the best of luck in his UFC tenure thus far as he is 1-2 inside the octagon, with his lone win being a second-round TKO over Jimmy Flick last June.

Before his promotional debut in 2022, the 28-year-old was riding a 7-fight winning streak that included his split decision win over Andres Luna Martinetti on the 'Contender Series'. Despite the win, he wasn't awarded a contract and went on to earn a 12-second knockout over Carlos Gomez at LUX 027 before signing with the UFC.

Meanwhile, Borjas is 9-2 and coming off a unanimous decision loss to Joshua Van also at UFC 295. It was his promotional debut after earning a contract following his unanimous decision win over Victor Dias on the 'Contender Series' last August.

Before his loss to Van, 'El Gallo Negro' had been riding a four-fight winning streak that dates back to 2020. He is an exciting fighter to watch and one that is capable of finishing fights before they go to the judges' scorecards as 8 of his 9 wins have come via KO/TKO.

Costa will definitely have the home crowd advantage at UFC 301, so it will be interesting to see how the 26-year-old deals with the added pressure of competing in enemy territory and whether it will affect his performance.