Steve Arseg is excited about the jeers and boos he expects when he takes on Alexandre Pantoja in front of the champion’s home crowd at UFC 301.
Stars line up for Erceg to take on Pantoja for the flyweight title in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Known as one of his most passionate MMA fans in the world, the Brazilian doesn’t make it easy for visiting fighters. A Brazilian fan was even criticized for throwing a bottle at Brandon Moreno, who won a split decision over Deiveson Figueiredo in a trilogy bout at UFC 283 in January 2023.
Erceg definitely expects, and is even somewhat excited about, a hostile crowd riding into enemy territory.
“I’m definitely ready for it,” he told Submission Radio. “I’m honestly excited about the opportunity to get yelled at, told to die and have bottles thrown at me. I think it’s going to be very exciting. I can’t wait to pick up my belt and get on a plane right away and go home.” yeah.”
Erceg hasn’t lost since 2017, when he fought Sean Gauci in his second year as a pro. The Australian standout earned the title with a knockout win over Matt Schnell in just his third UFC appearance. Pantoja, on the other hand, has competed at 125 pounds with a 3-0 record against former champion Moreno, including one exhibition match on “The Ultimate Fighter.” Facing the toughest test of his career, Erceg pinpointed the most dangerous aspects of his opponent’s skill set.
“Honestly, I think it’s because of his mental strength,” Erceg said. “Like getting hit, you get put in bad spots sometimes, but he just keeps going. He got tired and found a way to keep pushing the whole fight. He’s obviously someone who doesn’t give up. He has great skills outside of that, but some people with great skills don’t win like they expected and break down. I don’t think it’s going to break. Someone has to take it away from him.”
Erceg will do everything in his power to secure a finish, but he hopes to escape with a resounding decision win.
“My prediction is that he’s obviously going to be very tough. I’m going to go out there and try to finish him off, but it’s probably going to go to a decision and I’ll win by a dominant decision,” he said. .
