MMA News

Tag: Alexandre Pantoja

  • Steve Erceg Highlights Biggest Lesson Learned From Alexandre Pantoja Title Loss Ahead Of UFC 305 Return

    Steve Erceg Highlights Biggest Lesson Learned From Alexandre Pantoja Title Loss Ahead Of UFC 305 Return

    Having narrowly fallen short of the UFC flyweight title three months ago, Steve Erceg is returning to action with the knowledge that he can compete with the elite of the division.

    Erceg, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 125 pounds, will be among the home fighters featuring at this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, which goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

    “AstroBoy” has been able to make a relatively quick turnaround to compete in his city, returning after emerging from Brazil without the flyweight title in his possession this past May.

    The 29-year-old received a surprise title shot after just three fights in the UFC, looking to cash in on favorable circumstances at the expense of champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 301 main event.

    While unsuccessful in that endeavor, Erceg had plenty of positives to take away from the five-round defeat, and he’ll carry them into his return against Kai Kara-France on August 17…

    Erceg On UFC 301 Loss: ‘I Learned That I Am Near The Top’

    During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Erceg looked ahead to his fifth outing on MMA’s biggest stage and chance to bounce back from his first UFC defeat.

    When asked about his opening experience competing with UFC gold on the line, “AstroBoy” spoke of the added confidence he has having proven that he can hang with the best possible opposition in the flyweight division.

    “I learned that I am near the top of the division,” Erceg said. “I always believed it, but even though I lost, the fact I was able to go five rounds, I did get up, he didn’t take my back, I was able to land; there was a lot of good things that came out of it.

    “Also, obviously, a lot of things that I did wrong or he did well that I have to improve so that next time I get an opportunity like that, I can go there not as a good effort, but as a world champion,” Erceg continued. “That’s probably the biggest things I learned.”

    Erceg’s first step toward working his way back toward Pantoja and the gold in “The Cannibal’s” possession comes this weekend.

    And with a leading contender in Muhammad Mokaev being removed from the picture after his shock exit from the UFC, “AstroBoy” may not be far from a second shot given the competitive nature of his performance in Rio de Janeiro and the high ranking of his next opponent.

  • Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’

    Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’

    UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s coach, Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta of American Top Team, recently weighed on the potential opponents for “The Cannibal’s” title defense upon his return to the Octagon.

    Pantoja successfully defended his title for the second time with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301 this past May in front of his home crowd at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

    During a media interaction at UFC International Fight Week in June, Pantoja told journalists that he is already negotiating a major fight for his return against an opponent that “no one expects.”

    While the Brazilian remained tight-lipped about the specific contender, his coach now has a particular name in mind…

    ‘Parrumpa’ Plays Matchmaker For Pantoja

    During a recent interview with Sherdog.com, da Matta delved into the potential opponents for Pantoja’s next fight. The seasoned MMA coach highlighted that the most logical contender for Pantoja is the undefeated Japanese flyweight sensation Tatsuro Taira.

    “I think that the most natural names will beā€”I mean, I think, to be honest, that the name that makes more sense right now is Tatsuro Taira,” da Matta said. “Because he’s already had some fights in the UFC; he finished [Alex] Perez. I’m not gonna say it was a fluke, but it was an injury. Nonetheless, it was a finish.”

    He also explained why other contenders, such as Amir Albazi and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, do not make sense for Pantoja’s next title defense.

    “I don’t think Albazi is ready. He’s been a long time getting hurt, trying to get better, so I don’t think he’s in a position to go for a title shot. His last fight was a while ago, and a lot of people thought he lostā€¦ I think Cejudo doesn’t make any sense for the UFC because he retired when he was on top. He beat Dominick Cruz, which was amazing, then retired. He came back, wasn’t that great, lost, and went back to retirement. Now he’s going to come back in the weight division below 135 [pounds] and fight for the belt? And then what happens if he wins? Is he going to defend, or is he going to retire again?”

    Following his TKO victory over Perez at a Fight Night event in June, Taira expressed his desire for a title shot against “The Cannibal” in 2024, aiming to become the first Japanese champion in UFC history. He is set to headline an upcoming event at the UFC Apex against former title challenger Brandon Royval on October 12.

  • Manel Kape Claims Muhammad Mokaev Stopped Training At ATT After Being Constantly Submitted By Alexandre Pantoja

    Manel Kape Claims Muhammad Mokaev Stopped Training At ATT After Being Constantly Submitted By Alexandre Pantoja

    UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has heard some things regarding past training sessions between his upcoming opponent Muhammad Mokaev and champion Alexandre Pantoja.

    Having had a weight miss and an injury keep him out for the entirety of 2024 thus far, Kape is set to finally make his return to action at this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

    To stake his claim for a first title shot on MMA’s biggest stage and rematch with Pantoja, “Starboy” is tasked with blemishing the perfect UFC and professional record of Britain’s Mokaev.

    Given what he’s seen from “The Punisher’s” recent fights, Kape has appeared extremely confident about his chances of doing so.

    While yet to taste defeat in the cage, Mokaev’s latest victories have seemingly left plenty to be desired in the eyes of some fans and peers. That includes in the mind of Pantoja, who has requested to see more from the former IMMAF champion if he’s to challenge for the belt.

    And when it comes to Mokaev’s chances against “The Cannibal,” Kape recently explained why he expects “The Punisher” to be exposed against the division’s elite…

    Kape: Mokaev ‘Tapped A Lot’ To Pantoja At ATT

    During his appearance at UFC 304 media day on Wednesday, Kape looked ahead to his battle with Mokaev on Saturday night.

    When discussing the champ’s comments about his opponent, “Starboy” referenced their history training together at American Top Team. Kape claimed that Mokaev no longer heads to the Coconut Creek-based facility to train due to the struggles he had on the ground against Pantoja.

    “Pantoja can say a lot of things of him because they trained before together, and I know Pantoja had been submitting him a lot, a lot,” Kape said. “He (Mokaev) tapped a lot. It’s the reason that Mokaev don’t go train more at ATT.”

    If that’s true, it seemingly wouldn’t be a surprise for Kape, whose analysis of Mokaev’s game has led to him identifying plenty of mistakes for high-level flyweights to exploit inside the Octagon.

    “There is a lot of mistakes. He’s been struggling a lot. A lot, a lot of mistakes. If he faces somebody in the top three of the UFC (flyweight) rankings, he’s gonna get finished. So it’s gonna be fun.”

    Kape will hope that also applies to some further down the pecking order, with the Angola-born Portuguese flyweight currently occupying the #8 position on the 125-pound ladder.

    He’ll be looking to climb further toward contention and perhaps secure a top five spot by putting on a standout performance on UK soil this weekend.

  • Steve Erceg On Potential Alexandre Pantoja Rematch: ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do If Some Other Guy Can Beat Himā€¦’

    Steve Erceg On Potential Alexandre Pantoja Rematch: ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do If Some Other Guy Can Beat Himā€¦’

    The learning curve once a fighter joins the UFC roster roster can often be a steep one. Many fighters take some time to find their feet and work their way toward chasing a spot inside the rankings, and dreams of fighting for a title often have to be put on hold while they settle into the big leagues and slowly carve out a name for themselves.

    Not so for Steve Erceg.

    The Australian flyweight, who is set to face Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 later this summer, only made his debut inside the Octagon in June 2023 when he beat David DvoÅ™Ć”k by unanimous decision in Canada at UFC 289. He followed that up with another win at UFC 295 against Alessandro Costa, before picking up a highlight reel knockout of Matt Schnell in March of this year.

    In a surprising turn of events, the 28-year-old was drafted in to fight Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title in the main event of UFC 301 in Rio De Janeiro just two months later. While the fight didnā€™t go his way, ā€œAstroBoyā€ believes the experience will stand him in good stead going forward.

    ā€œI feel like more people know who I am now,ā€ Erceg said during an interview with Submission Radio this week. ā€œThatā€™s obviously good for getting big fights and opportunities, so thatā€™s great, and I found out that I can hang at that level.

    “Heā€™s beat a lot of contenders, basically everybody in the division, so the fact that I was able to hang there for five rounds, and I felt that I was the one coming over the top at the endā€¦that was awesome. It just obviously sucks that I have to look at his record now with my name associated with it, but whatever.ā€

    Erceg Aiming For Rematch With Pantoja Post-UFC 305

    Erceg was also asked whether he thinks a rematch could be on the cards, and if he believes Pantoja will still be the one holding the belt by the time heā€™s able to work his way back into title contention.

    ā€œI really hope heā€™s still the champion because I donā€™t know what Iā€™m gonna do if some other guy can beat him and I f**kin’ couldnā€™t. ā€¦ I donā€™t like to swear, butā€¦yeah, so Iā€™d prefer if it was him at the top still. Weā€™ll sort it out.ā€