Alexandre Pantoja remains champion of the UFC’s flyweight division with a unanimous decision win over Steve Erceg to close UFC 301. Today we will discuss about Steve Erceg vs Alexandre Pantoja: Octagon Interview,Community Reacts.
Steve Erceg vs Alexandre Pantoja: Octagon Interview,Community Reacts
Welcome home, Alexandre Pantoja. The UFC flyweight champion delivered another spectacular performance in his first fight in a decade in Brazil on Saturday – something that has become his trademark. UFC 301 marked a gratifying homecoming for the champ.
Pantoja left Brazil in 2014 to ply his mixed martial arts craft on the regional American circuit. He soon signed with the UFC, but did not fight on home soil for the promotion for several years thereafter. Pantoja returned to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday as the UFC flyweight champion, expected to take the baton from “The King of Rio” Jose Aldo, who fought in the co-main event. Pantoja’s victory on Saturday may not attract much attention but it further underlines his unwavering determination.
Pantoja put pressure on Erceg from start to finish. The champion’s one-on-one style caused him few injuries but forced the challenger to make significant mistakes. Pantoja sustained cuts on both eyebrows by the 25-minute mark, but his consistent takedowns and haymaker punches earned him 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 scorecards.
“I think I need to move my head more. These guys are hitting me too hard…” Pantoja said in his post-fight interview. “I think I need a little break. I fought three times last year.”
Pantoja has gone the full 15 rounds in his three UFC title bouts, including a July 2023 title win against Brandon Moreno that earned many people Fight of the Year awards.
Erceg’s camp made a significant mistake in telling their fighter that he was down three rounds in Round 5. Erceg used more aggressive grappling, particularly in round 5, giving Pantoja significant rounds in reverse position. The scorecards showed that the fight was still a tie between the two judges until the final frame.
“I was surprised how well he could grapple,” a disappointed Erceg later told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Octagon Interview
This is the UFC 301 live blog for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg, the main event flyweight title fight on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro.
Entering the UFC from The Ultimate Fighter in 2017, Pantoja showed all the promise in the world, and although it took him some time, last year “The Cannibal” finally fulfilled that promise and claimed the UFC flyweight title.
A major decision win over Brandon Royval in his first title defense followed, and now Pantoja has a chance to do something very few fighters have ever done: headline a pay-per-view event in his home country of Brazil. Do it.
A relative unknown until last year, Erceg made an instant splash in his UFC debut when he eliminated top-15-ranked David Dvorak as a short-notice replacement. That win catapulted Erceg into a bona fide contender at 125 pounds, and with little turmoil in the rest of the division, a bonus-winning knockout of Matt Schnell in March gave Erceg one of the most unlikely title shots in UFC history. Gave.
Watch the UFC 301 main event live blog below.
Community Reacts
“I just blew it.”
A frustrated Steve Erceg put up a tough fight against flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja, but he had to consider what could have been after a critical mistake in the fifth round of the UFC 301 main event as he was defeated by unanimous decision (48-47 x2, 49 ) had to face. -46) Defeat.
Erceg, who was looking to shock the world in his fourth UFC fight after a rapid rise up the 125-pound division, found success with chopping elbows and his overall striking game throughout the fight.
However, both Erceg and Pantoja agreed that the champion had won each of the first three rounds despite the UFC commentary team suggesting otherwise.
Daniel Cormier and Paul Felder both believed that the fight was much closer than the corners, and were concerned that it could influence Erceg to move away from what was working for him .
This happened on a few occasions in the fight as Erceg successfully knocked Pantoja down in the fifth round, but he stayed on the ground too long, with Cormier calling it a “big mistake”.
Then in the fifth, when Erceg landed another clean elbow that had the potential to damage his legs, the Australian followed it up with another takedown.
This time however he was reversed and from there Pantoja controlled the fight until the end.
Cormier said, “That’s where the inexperience comes in, because even though he has elite skills he hasn’t done it at this level long enough to know it’s a mistake.”
Both Cormier and Felder praised Erceg, who they said proved himself to be “absolutely elite” by taking down his much more experienced opponent.
But Erceg seemed disappointed with himself after the fight, telling Cormier that he was “surprised” by Pantoja’s performance.
“I usually beat people there so it was a shock,” he said.
Erceg said that he felt the third round was “very close” and that if he had won the last round he would have had a “chance” to keep it.
