UFC 301 goes down in just a few weeks’ time from Rio de Janeiro and one of the card’s main attractions is making a bold prediction for the PPV main event.
As the dust settles on UFC 300 and the greatest MMA card in history, it’s on to the next one with fans and fighters alike already counting down the days until UFC 301 in Brazil.
UFC 301 takes place in Rio de Janeiro next month
UFC 301 goes down on Saturday, May 4 from the Farmasi Arena (formally the Jeunesse Arena) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja set to defend his world title against Australian contender Steve ‘Astroboy’ Erceg.
Speaking to Phil Murphy and Megan Anderson via the ESPN MMA YouTube channel, Erceg shared that he initially thought that it was a “stupid question” when the UFC broadcast team asked him about a potential title fight before his KO victory over Matt Schnell in March.
“There are so many more people above me and they sort of just went through the list of this guy’s injured, this guy’s got this going on blah blah blah – [it’s between] you and Mokaev, but after the event Mokaev had a not-so-great performance and then I got the call.”
Steve Erceg eyes upset victory over ‘reckless’ champion at UFC 301
Whilst Pantoja might be a heavy betting favorite to successfully defend his 125lb title in his home country, Erceg knows that he has all the tools needed to earn an upset win in front of the infamously hostile Brazilian crowd.
“My plan mainly is just to punch him in the face and not get hit, he’s obviously going to come reckless and I’m going to try to stay on the outside – like death by a thousand cuts,” said the 28-year-old, who currently holds a professional MMA record of 12-1.
“If I try to go in there and hit him really hard, it will give him a chance to get in there and grapple with me, get to the mid-range where he’ll have an advantage but if I just keep nice and technical, nice and long then it’ll frustrate and make it hard for him.”
‘Astroboy’ also pointed to the ground as an area where Pantoja might be underestimating him, noting that “at the end of the day, I also believe in my grappling” with six of his 12 wins as a professional having come by way of submission.
“Before people started calling me a striker after my last fight, they said that I couldn’t strike, and I was a grappler. I have full faith in my ground ability and my wrestling, and I think that on the feet I can takeover.”
‘Astroboy’ also eyes a quick turnaround for PPV homecoming
Should Erceg earn that upset victory and have the flyweight title wrapped around his waist on May 4, the obvious next step for ‘Astroboy’ would be a quick turnaround to feature on UFC 305 in Perth, his hometown.
“Yeah 100% [return for Perth] – I don’t think that these types of opportunities come around all the time, people are always trying to fight in their hometown especially after they win a belt, [but] it often doesn’t happen because they might be injured or whatever.”
Erceg detailed how he doesn’t want to bank on the possibility of the UFC returning to Perth within the next few years after UFC 305, given that whilst 17 events have been hosted down under; only two have been in Perth.
“I don’t want to bank on ‘oh well we’ll come back to Perth another time and I’ll do it then’ – I want to take the opportunities as they come and give Perth a title fight. That would be amazing for me, and I can rest after that.”
“There’s always something to work on, I’m always trying to perfect my craft and have different answers for different styles; all facets of my game need improving and I will continue to do that.”
Steve Erceg faces Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title in the main event of UFC 301, scheduled for May 4 in Brazil.