UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg kicks off the prelims with a fight in the flyweight division between Alessandro Costa and Kevin Borjas. Costa is coming off a tough unanimous decision loss in his last fight meanwhile, Borjas dropped his UFC debut in his last fight via unanimous decision. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Costa-Borjas prediction and pick.

Alessandro Costa (13-4) has now dropped to 1-2 in the UFC after a narrow defeat to this weekend's flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg at UFC 295 a fight in which he took on short notice. Costa will be looking to get back on track this weekend in front of his home crowd against fellow Contender Series alumni Kevin Borjas at UFC 301.

Kevin Borjas (9-2) secured his contract after a dominant showing on the Contender Series over Victor Dias. However, he didn't have the same success in his UFC debut when he was ultimately outworked by Joshua Van for a unanimous decision loss. Now, Borjas will be searching for his first victory inside the Octagon when he takes on Alessandro Costa at UFC 301.

Here are the UFC 301 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 301 Odds: Alessandro Costa-Kevin Borjas Odds

Alessandro Costa: -130

Kevin Borjas: +110

Over 2.5 rounds: -110

Under 2.5 rounds: -120

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Why Alessandro Costa Will Win

Alessandro Costa made waves in his Contender Series performance even though he didn't ultimately get signed. He went back on the regional scene and got a quick 12-second knockout that lined him up with top-ranked flyweight Amir Albazi on short notice. While things haven't gone his way with a 1-2 record inside the Octagon he has still impressed the matchmakers giving him a fight in front of his home crowd in Brazil as he looks to get back into the win column when he takes on Kevin Borjas.

Costa is a very well-rounded fighter with knockout power in his hands and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt to fall back on when things get rough on the feet. While he will certainly have the power advantage on the feet, he will have a massive advantage in the grappling against Borjas. We've seen Borjas get taken down numerous times and controlled from there and if Victor Dias who's also a world-class Jiu-Jitsu practitioner didn't gas out Borjas probably would have never gotten signed after his shot on the Contender Series. If Costa can avoid letting Borjas just use his range to pick shots and take him to the mat we can see a potential ground-and-pound or submission finish by Costa.

Why Kevin Borjas Will Win

Kevin Borjas has had to fight through some adversity in both of his fights for the UFC. In his Contender Series fight, he had to weather the early storm against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Victor Dias who dominated him on the mat in round one only to gas out thereafter. Then Borjas had a competitive round one against Joshua Van in his UFC debut only to fade down the stretch due to Van's superior output and the damage that he inflicted. Now, Borjas will be searching for his first win inside the Octagon when he takes on Alessandro Costa.

Borjas is as tough as they come to hang in there as he did against a superior striker like Van bodes well for him going against a power striker like Costa. He also will have the volume advantage in this matchup and will be the better pure striker as well. While Borjas may not have the power over Costa he certainly has the speed and the movement to make it a tough time as long as he can keep this fight on the feet at his preferred range. As long as Borjas can keep himself upright he should have the ability to pot-shot his way to victory in this fight.

Final Alessandro Costa-Kevin Borjas Prediction & Pick

What a great fight to open the prelims in the flyweight division between Alessandro Costa and Kevin Borjas. Costa is a fighter who's always going to be pressing forward looking to land heavy calf kicks and hooks to take his opponent's head off. Meanwhile, Borjas will be looking to utilize his speed, movement, and crisp boxing combinations leading with his jab to fend off the relentless forward pressure of Costa. Ultimately, Borjas is going to look good early on popping his jab and staying on the outside but eventually, those calf kicks and hooks will find their home and Costa will take this fight to the mat where he will end the fight via submission midway through the fight.

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Final Alessandro Costa-Kevin Borjas Prediction & Pick: Alessandro Costa (-130), Under 2.5 Rounds (-120)