Alexandre Pantoja currently has elite status as the only fighter other than Demetrius Johnson to defend multiple titles in the UFC flyweight division.
His personal pride was on full display during and after his fight Saturday, when he defeated Steve Arseg for the title in the main event of UFC 301. But the term “main event” means almost as much to Pantoja (MMA 28-5, MMA 12-3) UFC) as “title acquisition”.
“I've always said this division is absolutely tough,” Pantoja said in the UFC 301 post-fight press conference. “You can take a guy ranked No. 10 and fight a champion. That's exactly what you guys saw tonight. This division is all about work. Talking alone doesn't move you up the rankings. I'm really happy to see this. I think it was a watershed moment for the division. We had a main event in Mexico last week, so it's great to see this moment.”
Erceg (MMA 12-2, 3-1 UFC) was seen by many to have a bit of a reach in terms of title challengers. But the promotion needed the main event of UFC 301, and with no other option, they decided to snap up the promising Erceg, who brutally ripped Pantoja with an elbow in the third round.
“I always say the only way someone is going to kill me in there is when you allow people to come in there with guns. You're not going to take me out. I can't breathe. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to fight back. I expected the fight to be over sooner. But again, the Australian guy is very tough. He's going to be very tested in this division. But as soon as the elbow hit, I tried to stop the bleeding, but that was part of it.
The bout was close, with two judges awarding Pantoja three of five rounds, and a third awarding him four rounds. Defeated Erceg by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).
“I think I obviously won the first three rounds of the fight,” Pantoja said. “The fourth round could have been his. The fifth round was mine. I think it was 4-1. That guy was very tough. That's what we say. This is a guy from Australia, a very tough guy, a guy that people don't really know about, and he came there to die. He was ready to die. I think it’s all about competing.”
As for what's next, Pantoja says it's a vacation. He ignores his mention of sharing records with “Mighty Mouse” and doesn't think his own legacy is completely caged.
“These are just statistics,” Pantoja said. My heritage is at home. My legacy is with my children. Numbers don't really matter in this department. I watched a match between the 10th ranked man and the champion. I always say it's like two universes colliding. I am here. I'm happy with my family and everything. He was crying there. He had a wife. He had a father. It's a very tough sport. No one is satisfied with finishing second in MMA. ”
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie's UFC 301 event hub.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie