UFC 301 takeaways: Pantoja not setting himself apart, Aldo is still king

Key Facts

Jose Aldo returned to the UFC after a two-year hiatus and reminded fight fans why he's one of the best ever in MMA.
It feels like everyone in the division needs to fight again to determine who is first in line to fight for the title, which would give Pantoja a bit of time as the division sorts itself out.
Aldo walked to the cage wearing a crown, and while that drew an ovation from the crowd, what really pleased the masses was a vintage performance by the 37-year-old, who retired in September 2022 and last year was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Manel Kape is a possibility, and I could see a world in which it goes to him, but Kape had the recent mishap of missing weight, and he also is coming back from injury.