Alexandre
Pantoja was nonetheless bleeding when he arrived on the UFC 301
post-fight press convention on Saturday night time.
That wound was well-earned, the product of a well-timed elbow
landed by opponent Steve Erceg
over the course of a grueling, five-round combat. Whereas the blow had
Pantoja leaking from his scalp, it couldn’t weaken the champion’s
resolve, as he retained his flyweight belt with a unanimous
choice triumph on the Farmasi Area in Rio de Janeiro.
“You’re not gonna take me out. So long as I’m respiration I’m going
to be combating again,” Pantoja mentioned. “I did count on the combat to finish
sooner. However once more, the Australian man was very robust, he’s going to
be very [tough] within the division. However you may see that instantly
when that elbow landed, I attempted to cease the bleeding with my arms.
However that’s a part of it.”
Erceg was an unlikely title challenger, incomes his alternative
after three victories and fewer than a 12 months combating below the
UFC banner. The Australian proved to be a deserving opponent,
however Pantoja was assured that the scorecards could be in his favor
on the finish of the night time.
“I believe I clearly gained the primary three rounds of the combat. The
fourth spherical might’ve have been his. The fifth was mine. I
positively suppose it was 4-1,” Pantoja mentioned. “This was very robust.
It is a man from Austraila. A man very robust that individuals didn’t
actually know. He got here in there to die. He was ready to die, and I
suppose that’s what it’s all about whenever you combat for a
championship.”
In keeping with Pantoja, Erceg’s emergence at UFC 301 is a testomony
to the standard of the flyweight division as an entire.
“I’ve all the time mentioned this division is fully robust. You may take the
Tenth-ranked man and combat in opposition to the champion, and also you noticed precisely
that tonight,” Pantoja mentioned. “This division is all about work. You
can’t transfer up within the rankings simply by speaking. I’m actually pleased to
see this. I believe it was a watershed second for this division.
We’ve been having foremost occasions in Mexico, there was a foremost occasion
final week between flyweights. I’m very pleased to see this
second.”
It’s additionally a division the place prolonged reigns are troublesome to return
by. Living proof: On Saturday, Pantoja grew to become the primary flyweight
king to earn two profitable title defenses since Demetrious
Johnson in 2018. In the end, such accomplishments don’t outline
the Brazilian generally known as “The Cannibal.”
“These are simply stats. My legacy is at dwelling, my legacy is with my
children. And numbers actually don’t matter on this division,” he mentioned.
“We noticed the Tenth-ranked man on this division in opposition to the
champion.
“It’s like two universes colliding. I’m over right here, I’m pleased with
my household and every thing. He was over there crying. He had his
spouse, he had his dad. It’s a really robust sport, no person’s pleased
ending up in second place in MMA.”
