The evening in Rio ends with the return of local champion Alexandre Pantoja to defend his flyweight title against Australian contender Stephen Erceg.
Pantoja won the belt last July in a competitive and close battle with two-time champion Brandon Moreno, and successfully defended the title for the first time in December, defeating Brandon Royval to retain his position atop the division and lead his winning streak at five. The American Top Team product has always relied heavily on his grappling, favoring positional dominance over dealing damage while looking for submission openings that never materialized in his last two outings.
UFC 301 FREE FIGHTS: Pantoja vs. Moreno 2 | Erceg versus Schnell
Erceg worked his way up the rankings after his promotional debut, showing up in Vancouver and outranking Top 15 member David Dvorak in June. After getting the better of Alessandro Costa in November to extend his double-digit win streak, “Astroboy” announced himself as a legitimate threat in the division with a second-round knockout victory over Matt Schnell in March.
It’s an exceptional duo. Pantoja has reduced his aggression while committing more to his fight in recent performances, but the challenger is a well-rounded talent who could very well push the champion to the limits on his home turf on Saturday night.
Other Main Card Matches
Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo
