Has Alexandre Pantoja ever been knocked out? Taking a look at the Brazilian's MMA record
Alexandre Pantoja is poised to put his flyweight title on the line against Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301. The pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this weekend.
The 34-year-old Brazilian embarked on his professional MMA journey in 2007 under a regional banner, amassing an impressive 15-2 record before his breakthrough moment came in 2016. During 'The Ultimate Fighter' season 24, he made a significant mark by defeating Kai Kara-France in the quarterfinals. Despite facing a setback against Hiromasa Ougikubo in the semifinals, Pantoja's talent was recognized, earning him a contract with the UFC.
'The Cannibal' marked his promotional debut against Eric Shelton at UFC on Fox 23 in January 2017, emerging victorious via split decision. Pantoja has never experienced a knockout loss throughout his 32-fight career; all five of his defeats have come by decision. His most recent setback occurred against Askar Askarov in July 2020.
Pantoja is presently enjoying a five-fight win streak, marked by his commanding unanimous decision triumph over Brandon Royval at UFC 296 in December of last year. 'The Cannibal' clinched the 125-pound championship by securing a split decision victory over former rival Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 in July 2023.
The reigning UFC flyweight champion boasts a career record of 27-5, with 10 victories by submission and eight by KO or TKO.
Alexandre Pantoja explains his decision to fight No. 10-ranked Steve Erceg at UFC 301
When the MMA promotion announced that Alexandre Pantoja would be defending his flyweight title against the No. 10-ranked Steve Erceg at UFC 301 in March, there was widespread speculation about the rationale behind the Brazilian's decision to select 'Astroboy' as his opponent.
During an interview with UFC Brazil (translated from Portuguese by AgFight) in March, 'The Cannibal' explained that he selected Erceg as his opponent because he had previously faced Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval twice and sought a fresher challenge:
"It's funny, because that's pretty much what I asked for. I was joking that I wanted a somewhat unknown opponent, and this guy comes to me who is tough. I even said, ‘I hope this guy moves up a category, because he’s huge’. Then he falls for me, but I say that jokingly. He's a very tough opponent."
He added:
"I believe that, at this moment, he is more difficult than Royval, than Moreno, because he is a guy who comes from behind, with nothing to lose, he is number ten in the rankings, he comes fresh into the category. The only thing against it is that I think I have more fighting experience. I believe this will be used by me in the octagon."
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