It's not everyday the #10 contender secures a shot at the title.
Heads were turned indeed when the UFC announced that flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja would return against Steve Erceg of all contenders in the main event of UFC 301.
Several flyweights ranked ahead of Erceg took issue with the news, notably the undefeated Muhammad Mokaev who was riding a six-fight win streak in the division.
"Tf UFC just done?" Mokaev reacted to Pantoja vs. Erceg on 'X'. "I have second active winning streak in MMA flyweight history! InshaAllah I will take this belt soon!
With many questions posed to the UFC on why the promotion booked the matchup, it turns out Pantoja had plenty of say in the matter when it came to his next title challenger.
"It's funny, because it's practically what I asked for," Pantoja explained to UFC Brasil of how the Erceg fight came together (translated by AG Fight, Championship Rounds). "I was joking that I wanted a kind of unknown opponent and this guy comes to me, who is difficult.
"I even said, 'I hope this guy goes up in weight, because he's huge' as a joke."
The 28 year-old Erceg may be just three fights into his UFC career, but the Western Australian is as dangerous as they come, proving that in his last fight with a brutal knockout of Matt Schnell just two weeks ago.
The showing was enough for Pantoja to entertain a title defense of wildcard proportions with the promotional newcomer, who will supposedly bring a better fight than his past world-class competition.
"He's a very tough opponent. I believe that, at this moment, he is more difficult than [Brandon] Royval, than [Brandon] Moreno, because he is a guy who comes from behind, with nothing to lose. He is #10 in the ranking, he comes fresh in the weight class.
"The only thing against it is that I think I have more experience of fighting. I believe this will be used by me in the octagon," Pantoja stated.
Another candidate for the title shot was the aforementioned Brandon Royval with his latest win coming over former champion Brandon Moreno. But, how 'fresh' can you really be to 'The Cannibal', if he's beaten you twice already.
The same can be said for several flyweight contenders as Alexandre Pantoja ran through the division en route to the world title in 2023, that being a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290.
Will be 'And Still' or 'And New' at UFC 301?
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