UFC 301 is almost upon us and despite there being a lot of mixed emotions related to the event, there is a man that many are keen to see. After all, it’s not always that a fighter with three fights in the UFC gets the opportunity to fight for the title. However, despite everything that has been said, Steve Erceg remains focused on his mission.
For those unaware, Steve Erceg is all set to challenge for the flyweight throne at UFC 301 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Although the initial announcement was met with a lot of criticism from fans, they have since resigned to what the UFC is moving ahead with. Seeing that the originally intended Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill headliner had to be moved to UFC 300, Alexandre Pantoja vs Erceg will now be the headliner.
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
Although the fans have since grown to accept how and why things are the way they are, a certain Muhammad Mokaev did not take the news well. One of the most highly touted flyweight prospects, Mokaev has twice the number of fights in the UFC than Steve Erceg, winning 4 of them by way of submission.
Steve Erceg responds to criticism from Muhammad Mokaev
All things considered, on paper, many would consider the #7 ranked Muhammad Mokaev as the obvious choice for a title contender as opposed to the #10 ranked Steve Erceg. Owing to the way the division is at the moment, only these two fighters were available to fight for the title. Seeing that the UFC was not willing to bring in a fighter from outside the UFC, they had to settle for one out of the two contenders.
Previously, both Erceg and Mokaev fought at UFC Vegas 87. Whilst the Australian enjoyed a stellar KO win over Matt Schnell, Mokaev had a much more closely contested fight against Alex Perez. In the end, the 23-year-old Englishman’s performance did not move many, with fans left unimpressed with his grappling-heavy style.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Steve Erceg revealed why he was the one to get the title shot instead of Mokaev:
“There was only two guys left, only me and Mokaev, and Mokaev’s performance wasn’t the most exciting and mine was so, just worked out well for me.”
“I would be upset if I was him too. He’s been in the UFC longer than I have, had six fights and six wins, and Pantoja called him out as well so, I can fully understand why he is upset but I think the UFC were finding it probably hard to not justify but get people excited for the fact that he was gonna fight for a title after the performance against Perez. Especially the way Paantoja handled Perez when they fought.
“This was probably more fresh and exciting for them to try and sell it I guess.”
All things considered, seeing that the fight was also going to be the headliner, the UFC seemingly needed an ‘it’ factor to sell the fight. With Erceg being an unknown quantity, coming off the back of a stunning walk-off KO, it makes people want to tune in and see what transpires.
Muhammad Mokaev had a lot to say about Steve Erceg getting the title shot
Naturally, Muhammad Mokaev was dismayed by the news of Steve Erceg getting the title shot before him. Seeing that he has been in the UFC for longer, with more finishes, more wins, and an unblemished record, some would consider Mokaev to be a no-brainer for the title fight. In addition to that, Alexandre Pantoja has also called out the young Englishman in the past.
Taking to social media, ‘The Punisher’ vented his frustrations on the matter for quite some time. In his posts, the 23-year-old drew attention to the fact that he had more finishes than Erceg had fights in the UFC. After realizing that bringing down the Aussie fighter was not going to do anything for him, Muhammad took the higher road and admitted that Pantoja and Erceg were simply doing their job.
Got more finishes than Ercegs fights in the UFC 😉 just facts!
— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) March 15, 2024
Don’t get me wrong there’s no hate on Pantoja and Erceg
2 top fighters who just doing their job , they don’t make fights , as much as I know…
I just wanna fight with the best fighters in the world and challenge myself! That’s why I’m in UFC
Already beat 2 ex title contenders…— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) March 16, 2024
Naturally, Mokaev is a young and hungry protect who wants his shot at the title as soon as possible. In the meantime, it is clear that the UFC has other plans for him. With the fighter teasing a fight in Saudi Arabia and then at UFC 305 in Manchester, it will be interesting to see who he fights next. Either way, he will be keeping a close eye on Steve Erceg and Alexandre Pantoja as well.
