Alexandre Pantoja survives huge cut to beat Steve Erceg and defend flyweight title at UFC 301
Alexandre Pantoja had to overcome adversity to win at UFC 301.
The flyweight champion was expected to make a routine defence of his title against #10 ranked contender Steve Erceg in a homecoming fight in Rio De Janeiro on Saturday night.
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However, he ended up suffering a huge cut during a five-round war.
Erceg proved he was not there to make up the numbers when he landed a beautiful combination and wobbled his opponent in the first round.
Pantoja was able to initiate a wrestling exchange and dominate on the floor, but his latest challenger showed that he could get back to his feet.
A cut opened on his hairline. Even though it was from an accidental head clash, Pantoja will have ended the first frame full of confidence after drawing blood from his rival.
Ecerg continued to impress the UFC commentators with his boxing skills in round two, which he probably won despite being taken down in the final seconds.
Pantoja had never been stopped in 32 prior fights and he proved why in round three as he walked through a devastating elbow to the face without issue.
The 34-year-old was covered in blood, but he still managed to get Erceg down and jump on his back to impress his coach, who told him he was up 3-0 in between rounds.
UFC analyst Jon Anik suggested it could be 2-1 to Erceg, either way, the Aussie fighter was very much in the fight as he headed to a fourth round for first time ever.
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Pantoja appeared to take round four off. Although he didn’t take much damage his cut did open back up during a clear five minutes for the challenger.
Round five was much different. Pantoja dominated with his wrestling and ended the back-and-forth fight on top – but it was up to the judges to decide if he'd done enough to keep his title.
All three cageside officials gave the fight in favour of the champion, who retained his 125lb belt courtesy of a 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46 scorecards.
"I’m in here to fight the best in the world and this guy’s one of them,” Pantoja said during an interview with Daniel Cormier following his win.
"What a tough opponent to have in here. I think I need to move my head, these guys are hitting me too much. What an incredible guy, an incredible opponent.”
Erceg was disappointed with himself after throwing away the last round by initiating a grappling exchange with his wrestling specialist opponent.
He said: “I thought that if I could win the last round at least, I’d give myself a chance. I just blew it.”
Despite falling short, Erceg proved he is a world-class MMA fighter and convinced fans that he will be a UFC champion one day.
It was another gruelling but victorious night at the office for Pantoja, who will enjoy his latest win before defending against another contender later this year.
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