Pantoja outlasts Erceg to retain UFC flyweight title

Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended the UFC flyweight title on home soil.

Pantoja narrowly defeated Steve Erceg via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the 125-pound belt for the second time in the UFC 301 main event Saturday night at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Pantoja, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, became the first flyweight champion to win consecutive title defenses since Demetrious Johnson, who held the strap from 2012-18. Pantoja is also now one win away from tying Johnson and Joseph Benavidez for the most flyweight victories in UFC history at 13.

Pantoja praised Erceg after the back-and-forth fight.

"I'm in here to fight the best in the world, and this guy's one of them," he said through an interpreter. "What a tough guy, what a tough division, what a tough opponent to have in here."

This fight came down to a fifth round in which Pantoja secured two takedowns to seal the victory. Erceg, predominantly a boxer, tried to take Pantoja down but Pantoja reversed the position and wound up on top of the challenger. Pantoja scored one more takedown later in the round and finished the fight in top control.

Erceg, an unlikely title challenger who made his UFC debut less than a year ago, put up a great effort against Pantoja in defeat. Erceg outlanded Pantoja in the second and fourth rounds, mixing in jabs with hooks and elbows. Erceg cracked Pantoja with a hard elbow in the third that forced the champion to shoot for a takedown. However, Pantoja's offense in the first, third, and fifth rounds - both on the feet and the ground - was enough to take the win on the judges' scorecards.

Erceg said he "blew it" in the final round with the ill-advised takedown attempt.

"I was surprised how well he could scramble," Erceg said, fighting back tears. "I usually beat guys there, so it was a shock."

Pantoja captured the flyweight title at UFC 290 last July, defeating former two-time champion Brandon Moreno by split decision in theScore's Fight of the Year. The American Top Team product defended it for the first time last December with a unanimous-decision win over Brandon Royval. Pantoja, 34, is now riding a six-fight winning streak.

Erceg debuted in the UFC last June and was competing in just his fourth Octagon bout. With no clear-cut No. 1 contender available, the Perth, Australia, native got the call to fight Pantoja for the belt as the 10th-ranked flyweight. He had a shot at one of the fastest championship ascensions in promotion history.

Erceg won his first three fights in the UFC, highlighted by a knockout win over Matt Schnell in March. The 28-year-old's 11-fight winning streak was snapped. This marked Erceg's first loss since his second pro fight in 2017.