UFC 301 will mark the UFC’s return to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil after quite some time. Additionally, with it following up the all-important UFC 300 in April, there is a great expectation for it to deliver. As it turns out, the expectations have fallen on flyweight champ, Alexandre Pantoja.
Previously, it was announced that ‘The Cannibal’ would be making his next title defense against Steve Erceg at UFC 301. Naturally, the news was met with a lot of criticism by the fans. After all, Erceg is the #10 ranked contender in the division with only 3 fights to his name.
Wheels up to Rio ✈️
The flyweight belt is up for grabs 🏆
Presale info: https://t.co/KhR1ww7s1q | #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/pxIQM9PXfm
— UFC (@ufc) March 15, 2024
Ahead of the announcement, Alexandre Pantoja had mentioned that after his win against Brandon Royval at UFC 296 last year, there weren’t too many worthy contenders in the division. Having beaten most of the top contenders in the division, there wasn’t really a fight to make for the champion. As such, he revealed that his next opponent would be a fighter, the fans do not know a lot about.
Alexandre Pantoja defends Steve Erceg title fight at UFC 301
All things considered, there is a shortage of worthy contenders in the flyweight division. With Alexandre Pantoja already having won against Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno on two separate occasions, it left the likes of Matheus Nicolau, Tim Elliot, and Muhammad Mokaev in the top 10. With that said, other than Mokaev, who only just fought at UFC Vegas 87, would likely not have been medically cleared to fight in May.
Thus, the UFC and Pantoja’s decision to go for Steve Erceg instead becomes a little more understandable. In a recent interview, the 33-year-old Brazilian stated:
Alexandre Pantoja reveals that he asked to fight Steve Erceg, and says that he’s a more difficult fight than Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno:
“That’s pretty much what I asked for. I wanted a somewhat unknown opponent and this guy comes to me.
He’s a very tough opponent. I… pic.twitter.com/rJfKFFiTIe
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 18, 2024
“That’s pretty much what I asked for. I wanted a somewhat unknown opponent and this guy comes to me”.
“He’s a very tough opponent. I believe that, at this moment, he is more difficult than Royval, than Moreno, because he is a guy who comes from behind with nothing to lose. He is number 10 in the rankings, he comes fresh into the category.”
For the most part, it is a bold claim from the side of Alexandre Pantoja. Despite his promising start in the UFC, Erceg has yet to be tested against the mainstays of the division. Thus, to claim that the Australian is better than Royval and Moreno might seem like a bit of a stretch.
Steve Erceg’s UFC career so far
For the most part, Alexandre Pantoja’s decision to go for Steve Erceg, upon further inspection makes a little more sense. Considering the time crunch and the state of the division, it is likely that the UFC had no other fight to make. Moreover, with Alex Pereira’s fight against Jamahal Hill pulled to UFC 300 instead, it means that Pantoja’s fight will likely end up staying as the headliner.
As such, 28-year-old Steve Erceg, who has beaten David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa, and Matt Schnell so far will make the jump up from early prelim, prelim, and Fight Night main card to headliner in just his fourth UFC fight. A massive opportunity to say the least, but it is also very rushed. Thus, his highlight walk-off KO against Schnell at UFC Vegas 87 has become his main selling point.
ONE AND DONE 😮💨
Steve Erceg kicks off this #UFCVegas87 main card with a second round KO! pic.twitter.com/Ac1uYVprnu
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2024
Considering that Brandon Moreno is a two-time former flyweight champion with a solid resume, it is puzzling to see how Pantoja believes Erceg to be better. However, some are expecting that Erceg will pull something extraordinary out of the bag with his boxing prowess. A lose-lose situation for the most part, Alexandre Pantoja will have to put in a dominant and memorable performance at UFC 301 to command respect from the fans.
