UFC 301 went down this past weekend (Sat., May 4, 2024) inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Vitor Petrino, who was choked out by Anthony Smith after he gift-wrapped him his neck in the first round (see it again here). And Ihor Potieria, who suffered a 54-second submission at the hands of Michel Pereira (video replay here). And Paul Craig, who got knocked out by Caio Borralho in the second round of their Middleweight fight.
Steve Erceg also came up short in Rio, losing to Flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, in his first-ever UFC title fight … though it wasn’t for a lack of effort. Before we get to the fight, a lot was made about Erceg receiving the title fight seeing as how he is ranked No. 10 in the division, while fighters like Amir Albazi (No. 3) and Muhammad Mokaev (No. 6) seemed to be more deserving.
But, if opportunity knocks, one must answer because it rarely does twice. And that’s just what Erceg did when he got the call after winning just three fights under the UFC banner. And show up to fight he did, taking it to the champion, giving him all he could handle for 25 minutes. In the end, however, Pantoja did enough to retain his title, and Erceg was left feeling empty and unsatisfied.
But, in defeat there is a silver lining, and Erceg proved he belongs with the big boys. So, while most people don’t like moral victories, Erceg would be justified if he took it as such, though his first loss in seven years has been a tough pill to swallow.
“I thought that if I could win the last round at least, I’d give myself a chance,” Erceg said in his post-fight interview (via MMA Fighting). “I thought the third [round], I think it was the third that was close enough, like he got me down a couple times, but there was no real control, and I got up and beat him on the feet.
“I thought that if I could win the last round at least, I’d give myself a chance,” Erceg concluded. “I just blew it.”
But, not all is lost for Erceg, who will still linger around the Top 10 given his impressive outing. As far as what could be next for “Astro Boy,” a fight against Matheus Nicolau could be in order. Nicolau was recently knocked out by Alex Perez (his second straight loss), so he will come in fired up and hungry to get back into the win column and prepared to hand Erceg his second straight loss.
Thoughts?
For complete UFC 301 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.