UFC 301 live blog: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg
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 in 2017 off The Ultimate Fighter, Pantoja showed all the promise in the world, and though it took him some time, last year “The Cannibal” finally delivered on that promise, claiming the UFC flyweight title. A dominant decision win over Brandon Royval followed in his first title defense, and now Pantoja has the chance to do something that very few fighters have ever done: Headline a pay-per-view event in his home country of Brazil.
A relative unknown until last year, Erceg immediately made a splash in his UFC debut when he unseated top-15 ranked David Dvorak as a short-notice replacement. That win elevated Erceg to the ranks of true contender at 125 pounds, and with the rest of the division in a bit of turmoil, his bonus-winning knockout of Matt Schnell in March earned Erceg one of the most improbable title shots in UFC history.