"Just a dog with bjj technique" - Top UFC flyweight explains why he wants to see Steve Erceg beat Alexandre Pantoja
UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his title for the second time against Steve Erceg on May 4, 2024 at UFC 301.
Erceg will feature in his first ever title fight in his UFC career after just three appearances in the octagon. He is being backed to win by fellow flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev.
The No.6 ranked Mokaev – who is four spots ahead of Erceg in the division – took to X (formerly Twitter) in a series of posts to express his support for the challenger.
He wrote:
"I really wanna see Erceg win this fight"
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's post below on X:
Mokaev went on to reason that Erceg was a superior striker compared to Pantoja, who reigned supreme when it came to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Mokaev wrote:
"I think his striking is better than Pantoja Pantoja is just a dog With bjj technique Nothing special I see in him"
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's post below:
Mokaev himself has been calling for a title shot and is on a six-fight win streak in the UFC. However, he doesn't seem to harbor any resentment towards Erceg despite being passed up by him for the title shot.
Alexandre Pantoja says Steve Erceg is a deserving challenger for the flyweight title
Steve Erceg is currently 12-1 in professional MMA, and is just three fights into his UFC career. In what will only be his fourth fight under the promotion, he will be challenging reigning flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja.
Pantoja, however, hasn't dismissed his chances despite his lack of experience at the top level.
Pantoja spoke in an interview on SHAK MMA and mentioned watching all three of Erceg's fights in the UFC octagon. He spoke of Steve Erceg's merits and said that he poses genuine threat on fight night:
"I watch that 3 fights and [he] make a good fight. He fight with Alessandro Costa, really good... And he fights with [David] Dvorak, very good guy, very dangerous fighter. Then, he come to knock out Matt Schnell, looked very easy. He looked very comfortable in the Octagon. That's why I'm looking at this guy and say, this is the real dude. He deserve for the fight. In my division, you can take the #10, and he can make a tough fight with the champion. This guy, he can take the belt that night."
Pantoja maintained that he was not underestimating his opponent and had the added motivation to not lose in front of his home fans in Rio de Janeiro.
Check out Alexandre Pantoja's full comments on Steve Erceg in the interview below (7:05):