The Brazilian defended his bantamweight title at UFC 301 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Alexandre Pantoja (28-5), who defeated the Australian by decision of the judges (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) Steve Erceg (12-2) and won the sixth victory in a row.
S. Ercegas earned the opportunity to fight for the title less than a year after his debut in the UFC organization and performed really well in his first title fight, although he did not manage to beat the champion.
After the fight, Mr. Pantoja said that he needs to move his head more because he absorbs too many punches, but said that his grappling is one of the best in the world.
J. Pantoja expressed his respect for S. Erceg and said that he is a tough fighter.
The champion could not answer who his next opponent will be and said that he needs some rest as he has fought three times in the last year.
Meanwhile, S. Ercegas was very upset after the judges’ verdict and said that he was surprised how J. Pantoja could fight in “wild fights” and he was shocked that he lost it. S. Ercegas said he thought that if he won the last round, he would give himself a chance, but he wasted it.
