UFC 301 is in the books and we’ve had a pretty interesting event, to say the least. Arguably the least hype PPV this year, the event still had some exciting and entertaining moments regardless. That said, the major talking point from this one was around the main event title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg.
Previously, when the headliner for UFC 301 was announced, it was met with a lot of criticism from the fans who were not too sure why the champion Alexandre Pantoja was fighting the #10 ranked contender. In hindsight, the claims were very out of place as the challenger gave an excellent account of himself on the night and took the champion to deep waters.
THE UNDISPUTED FLYWEIGHT CHAMP 🏆@PantojaMMA | #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/Qupy4jM2LT
— UFC (@ufc) May 5, 2024
Following the conclusion and the results being announced, many were in favor of the challenger for having won the fight. That said, the unbiased neutrals suggested that the fight was close, however, Erceg’s mistake in the final round possibly cost him the fight. Owing to the stakes on the line, a lot of fighters and experts had their own takes on the matter.
Demetrious Johnson says Mohammad Mokaev is a bad matchup for Alexandre Pantoja
Naturally, Demetrious Johnson, who is hailed as one of the best analytical minds in MMA, also had his thoughts on what occurred in the main event of UFC 301. That said, Johnson was not too impressed with Alexandre Pantoja’s performance and claimed that he was fighting not to lose, rather than to win. Moreover, his tendency to hang on, nearly saw the challenger, Steve Erceg win the fight.
Following the events of UFC 301, ‘Mighty’ had a lot of praise for Steve Erceg who had gone toe-to-toe with the Alexandre Pantoja in only his fourth UFC fight. Not only that, but he outclassed the champion on the feet, making him bleed and had him scrambling for takedowns. That said, a momentary lapse in judgment seemingly cost Steve Erceg the fight.
“I think you give Steve Erceg another year, two years, I think he beats Pantoja. And then that’s the problem with the flyweight division is that there’s not a lot of athletes there.”
“Now, you do have Mokaev, who’s next. I think Mokaev can beat Alex Pantoja cause one, he’s better on the feet. Two, he has a better wrestling background. Three, I think he will be better about not making the decision of ‘Hey, I can beat Pantoja on the feet, I don’t need to take him down.”
For the most part, Mokaev’s dominant yet somewhat boring win against Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87 seemingly cost him the title shot. On the other hand, Erceg enjoyed a walk-off KO win over Matt Schnell on the same night. That said, it will possibly turn out to help the Englishman as he looks to first win at UFC 304 in Manchester and then challenge Pantoja for the title. If anything, watching how well Erceg fared against the Brazilian will further boost his confidence.
Steve Erceg made a big mistake by shooting for a takedown in Round 5
For the most part, many people who tuned into the fight felt that Steve Erceg should have won the fight. Although on paper, it makes for a pretty convincing unanimous decision win for Alexandre Pantoja, the reality of the matter was much different. With the champion landing more strikes (143) than Erceg (129) and racking up more than 8 minutes of control time, the stats paint a very definitive picture.
Not only that but ‘The Cannibal’ also secured 9 takedowns as opposed to Erceg’s 1. However, in reality, the challenger managed to make his shots count, doing significantly more damage. With the better standup and striking, the Australian fighter caused some brutal cuts on the face of Pantoja. Whilst Erceg also had significant bleeding from his head, it was caused by an accidental clash of heads rather than the champion.
That said, many, including Demetrious Johnson, believe that his decision to shoot for a takedown when he was close to potentially finishing Alexandre Pantoja on the feet will forever continue to haunt him.
“He (Erceg) literally just gave the fight away by trying to wrestle with a guy who can’t box. I think it just comes from experience. For Erceg, not having the experience of finishing someone when you know you’re beating the hell out of them.”
At the same time, many have understood that Erceg’s actions stem from a lack of experience at the top level. That said, he along with Muhammad Mokaev possesses all the tools to beat Alexandre Pantoja. Which of the contenders will manage to actually beat and whether it even happens or not, only time will tell.