Alexandre Pantoja defended his UFC flyweight championship title against Steve Erceg, winning a unanimous decision, though some disagreed with the verdict due to Erceg’s aggressive performance.
Alexandre Pantoja is still the reigning UFC flyweight champ. He successfully defended his title for the second time at UFC 301, held at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
His opponent, Steve Erceg, gave him a run for his money. The fight was a tough one, with Pantoja emerging victorious by unanimous decision. But, not everyone was on board with this outcome.
Erceg’s aggressive strategy and striking prowess convinced many that he had done enough to dethrone the flyweight king. The MMA world was divided on the Pantoja vs. Erceg match, with varied reactions to the championship main event.
Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) tweeted, “2,3 and 4 I think went to the challenger.”
“Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) praised both fighters: “Valiant effort by Erceg! Nothing to be upset about. Pantoja is relentless! I have Pantoja 3-2 #ufc301.”
Patchy Mix (@TeamMixMMA) questioned the scoring: “If damage is criteria how does Erceg only win one round?”
Sergio Pettis (@sergiopettis) saw a bright future for Erceg: “@SteveErcegUFC has a bright future. Interesting match ups in the flyweight division when you add him to the conversation.”
Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) commented on Pantoja’s defensive skills: “Shooting on Pantoja is like taking yourself down. #ufc301 unreal!”
Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) humorously tweeted about the fight’s duration: “Fighting to stay awake for another Pantoja fight… #realfight.”
Bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) simply said, “This is a scrap!”
Damien Brown (@beatdown155) analyzed the fight: “Ercegs boxing is looking solid. The more Pantoja makes this a dog fight the better because straight up he’ll get beaten by Ko if he try’s to be the technical fighter #UFC301.”
Cody Gibson (@TheRenegade559) scored it close: “I got it 3-2 for the champ but a hell of a performance by the Dunder Mifflin GM #ufc301.”
Joe Joe Giannetti (@Giannettimma) didn’t see it for Pantoja: “I just didn’t see it for Pantoja. The wrestling scrambles looked great. His jiu-jitsu was so dominant, but he just didn’t do anything with it?? #UFC301.”
Manel Kape (@ManelKape) tweeted a simple “.”
Damien Brown (@beatdown155) again, this time with a prediction: “Erceg can keep his chin up, he’ll be champion. Going to cause problems for any top 5 FlyW #UFC301.”
Joe Joe Giannetti (@Giannettimma) criticized the decision: “It’s decisions like that in the ultimate FIGHTING championship that just set such a bad precedent for what up & coming fighters need to do(or not do) to win. And they’ll do it because their pay is on the line. It is going to cause more lackluster fighters & and fewer stars in the…”