Steve Erceg ready to face flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301: 'If they call me, I'm going to step up'
Steve Erceg would jump at the opportunity if he was offered a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.
Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) scored his first octagon finish when he knocked out Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 238. He called out Brandon Moreno after the win.
Flyweight champion Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is looking to defend his title at UFC 301 May 4 in Rio. With Pantoja having already beaten most of the top contenders, Erceg is ready to make a quick turnaround if he’s approached.
“It is super fast, but I told you I wanted to get to the title as fast as I can,” Erceg told MMA Junkie. “I assume they’re probably going to give it to (Muhammad) Mokaev, even off of his poor performance just because that’s what Pantoja asked for. But if they call me, I’m going to step up. I’m here to show that I’m the best fighter in the world, so two days, eight days, five weeks, whichever it is, I’ll show up and put on a show.”
Pantoja mentioned Erceg as a possibility. Mokaev defeated former title challenger Alex Perez, also at UFC Fight Night 238, and the champion has narrowed it down to those two fighters. He dismissed Brandon Royval at an option because he was his most recent title defense.
“Now I’m 9-0 with all the top 10, but you have good new names coming to the division,” Pantoja told Sportsnet. “You have Mokaev making a great fight with Alex Perez. You have Manel Kape, but I already beat him. You have (Erceg), the guy from Australia – he’s really good.
“He fought Matt Schnell. He looks like Steve Carell. He’s a good fighter. I knocked out Matt Schnell in the first round. He did it in the second. Maybe it’s a good option for the UFC, too.”
Erceg envisions a potential fight with Pantoja being a tough one, but sees holes he can expose.
“Until I beat Schnell and put him outside the top 10, I think he had nine wins over the current top 10,” Erceg said. “So it’s hard to argue that he’s not the best guy in the division. He’s a really good fighter. Obviously, his bread and butter is beating people with pressure and taking people’s backs, that sort of thing.
“His striking isn’t bad, but it does get sloppy pretty quickly. Again, he pushes so hard that it’s hard for him not to get tired – so I think he’s very exploitable. That’s what makes it fun. It’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a hard fight. It’s going to be fun, for sure.”