Alexandre Pantoja’s next title defense will be on home soil.
The UFC flyweight champion has been booked for his second title defense. He will take on Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301, which will take place on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The promotion officially announced the matchup on Friday.
Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) won the UFC flyweight title in an all-out war against then-champion Brandon Moreno back in July. He then defended his belt this past December in a unanimous decision win over Brandon Royval. Pantoja is on a five-fight winning streak. This is also the first time Pantoja fights in Brazil under the UFC banner. The last time he competed in Brazil was back in 2013.
Meanwhile, Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) gets the opportunity to fight for UFC gold in just his fourth fight with the promotion. He debuted in June with a unanimous decision win over David Dvorak, and then followed up with wins over Alessandro Costa and then Matt Schnell, which was earlier this month.
ʟᴜᴛᴀ ᴘʀɪɴᴄɪᴘᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴꜰɪʀᴍᴀᴅᴀ
O campeão peso-mosca 🏆🇧🇷 @PantojaMMA luta em casa e defende o cinturão contra 🇦🇺 Steve Erceg no #UFC301, no Rio de Janeiro!
Confira como você pode garantir o seu ingresso:
18 Mar | 12h: pré-venda para assinantes do UFC Fight Pass
19 Mar… pic.twitter.com/ml7emUje4T— UFC Brasil (@UFCBrasil) March 15, 2024
With the addition, the current UFC 301 lineup includes:
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg – for flyweight title
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Michel Pereira
- Caio Borralho vs. Paul Craig
- Vitor Petrino vs. Anthony Smith
- Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo
- Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore
- William Gomis vs. Jean Silva
- Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
- Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
- Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.
