The headliner of UFC 301 features a big discrepancy in experience when Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja faces Australia’s Steve Erceg.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg Fight Preview
Alexandre Pantoja has always been successful in the UFC, yet he expanded on that success in recent years by claiming the flyweight championship last July. A subsequent defense of the title against former foe Brandon Royval proved that Pantoja is at the high point of his career. Despite being on just a five-fight win streak, Pantoja has beaten almost every top flyweight there is. His well-rounded style proves to be a tough task for anyone he steps in the cage against, and with Brazil behind him makes for a dangerous fight for anyone.
Steve Erceg received what many people feel is one of the most surprising title shots in the history of the promotion. With just a 3-0 UFC record, Erceg’s devastating knockout of Matt Schnell put the MMA world and the UFC matchmakers on notice. The win moved him up to the tenth spot in the flyweight rankings but also showed the level of Erceg’s striking. With Pantoja nearing a clean-out of the division, this fight makes a lot of sense. We may see Erceg’s untapped potential realized tonight, but he’ll have to take out a dominant champion in his home country to do so.
Fight Recap
Alexandre Pantoja started the fight by putting lots of pressure on the challenger, looking for an early takedown. Erceg stayed calm and kept the fight at range, landing some big distance strikes. Pantoja used his blitzes to try and throw off the timing of Erceg and landed some good leg kicks before securing his first takedown of the fight. Erceg had moments where it looked like he would get back to his feet but the champion wouldn’t let it happen. Pantoja started unleashing some ground and pound which allowed Erceg the chance to stand up, but the round was nearly over at that point.
Pantoja looked to get the fight back down in the second round but Erceg defended well. The two exchanged some shots on the feet before Pantoja dragged him down with a body lock and stayed strong on top. Erceg worked back to his feet and looked for a takedown of his own, but was unsuccessful and the two continued exchanging big shots of the feet. Erceg defended another takedown well and was finding success in outstriking Pantoja at range. Pantoja continued to blitz in but wasn’t finding as much success as the challenger on the feet. With just seconds left in the round Pantoja landed a crucial takedown to potentially sway the judges.
Erceg landed another nice elbow to start the round but Pantoja was starting to find success working the body. Both men were landing with success in this round, just trading shots back and forth. Pantoja ate another massive elbow followed by a left hook that caused him to start leaking blood and forced him to shoot another takedown, this one successful. Pantoja worked his way to the back but was unable to mount any significant offense before the end of the round.
Championship Rounds
Erceg landed a big counter right hand to start the fourth round while Pantoja continued to aim for the legs. The champion didn’t seem the same after that big elbow landed and was mostly passive in this round while Erceg kept him on his back foot. Pantoja had some small moments as the round progressed but they mostly came in those big blitzes. Neither man was too aggressive volume-wise in this round, and a failed takedown by Alexandre Pantoja finished the round.
Erceg opened the round by taking the champion down but was quickly reversed and had him back taken. He worked back to his feet quickly but Pantoja was just hanging on his back with all his strength. With three minutes left in the round Erceg got free of the champion’s grasp and landed some nice punches on the feet and a head kick that glanced. Pantoja continued to blitz in and was caught with yet another big elbow but gave it right back with a big left hand. Erceg shot another takedown but was reversed by the champion and ended up on his back with just over a minute left. Pantoja ended the fight with top division while reigning down some nice ground and pound as the bell rang.
The scorecards read 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 for the champion Alexandre Pantoja’s second title defense.
UFC Fighters React to Alexandre Pantoja’s Hard Fought Win Over Steve Erceg
Did Steve Erceg impress you despite not getting the nod? Did you agree with Alexandre Pantoja winning 4-1 on one scorecard? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
