Alexandre Pantoja Withstands Steve Erceg, Retains Flyweight Title at UFC 301

Alexandre Pantoja lengthened his reign atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division but left the cage with a few battle scars for his troubles.

“The Cannibal” leaned into his all-terrain skills and big-fight experience, as he retained his 125-pound title with a unanimous decision over Australian challenger Steve Erceg in the UFC 301 headliner on Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Pantoja (28-5, 12-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judges, putting his stamp on a sixth straight victory in an outright war of wills.

Erceg (12-2, 3-1 UFC), who entered the Octagon on an 11-fight winning streak, was game and almost certainly boosted his stock in defeat. He cut Pantoja twice with well-timed elbow strikes, opening lacerations on his scalp and near his right eye. Erceg countered effectively throughout and pieced together clean punching combinations against the respected champion. Pantoja pressed the issue by moving forward and targeting the body with punches but made much of his headway in the grappling exchanges. He was credited with nine takedowns and racked up nearly six minutes of control time, working over Erceg in the scrambles. Pantoja put to bed any thought of an upset midway through the fifth round, where he countered a takedown into top position, briefly climbed to full mount and applied his ground-and-pound, letting his star shine when it mattered most.

Meanwhile, UFC hall of famer Jose Aldo came out of retirement and bested one of the fastest-rising stars in the bantamweight division, as he took a unanimous decision from Jonathan Martinez in the three-round co-main event at 135 pounds. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Aldo (32-8, 14-7 UFC), who competed inside the Octagon for the first time since his Aug. 20, 2022 decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili.

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Martinez (19-5, 10-4 UFC) seemed starstruck at times, downright outgunned at others. Aldo assaulted him with high-velocity punching combinations to the head and body, along with a few of his patented leg kicks. He had built a substantial lead by the time the start of third round. Late in the period, he staggered Martinez with a sweeping left hook to the temple, gave chase with punches and executed a takedown. Ground-and-pound followed, as Aldo worked to improve position while draining time off the clock.

The setback closed the book on Martinez’s six-fight winning streak.

Elsewhere, former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Anthony Smith turned away Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Vitor Petrino with a guillotine choke in the first round of their light heavyweight showcase. Petrino (11-1, 4-1 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 2:00 into Round 2.

Smith (38-19, 13-9 UFC) met the Brazilian’s forward movement with heavy leg kicks, then called upon his deep well of experience. Petrino swooped in for an ill-advised double-leg takedown, only to leave his neck unprotected while doing so. Smith bit down on the choke, tightened his squeeze and prompted the tapout.

It was the first guillotine choke submission of Smith’s 57-fight career.

Further down the main card, dynamic Overcome Academy star Michel Pereira disposed of Ihor Potieria with a guillotine choke in the first round of their middleweight feature. A short-notice replacement for Makhmud Muradov, Potieria (20-6, 2-4 UFC) bowed out 54 seconds into Round 1.

The 30-year-old Pereira (31-11, 9-2 UFC) tested the waters with kicks before he drove the off-balance Ukrainian to the mat with a clean one-two. Unsatisfied with his work, “Demolidor” executed a backflip and sent his knee crashing into the grounded Potieria’s neck and chest, perilously close to his head. It set off a scramble, at which point Pereira snatched a standing guillotine. Potieria tapped after a brief but fruitless struggle, then appeared to briefly lose consciousness as he crashed backward to the canvas.

Pereira has won eight fights in a row, the last three of them in 66 seconds or less.

Finally, Fighting Nerds standout Caio Borralho put away former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig with punches in the second round of their middleweight appetizer. Craig (17-8-1, 9-8-1 UFC) checked out 2:10 into Round 2, losing for the fourth time in five appearances.

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Borralho (16-1, 6-0 UFC) dictated the pace and direction of the encounter for much of the first round, where he connected with hooks upstairs, mixed in a few body kicks and refused the Scottish Hit Squad rep’s repeated attempts to lure him into ground exchanges. In the second round, he snapped Craig’s head back with a plunging left hand, followed it with a flying knee and reset once an immediate finish did not present itself. Soon after, a left hook-right hook combination set the “Bearjew” on unsteady footing and forced his retreat. Borralho swarmed with follow-up shots before one final straight left sealed the Scotsman’s fate.

The 31-year-old Borralho has rattled off 13 consecutive victories.

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