An unlikely challenger in Steve Erceg looks to dethrone UFC flyweight champion in his backyard at UFC 301 on May 4. The fight in Brazil, and undercard action, airs on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Pantoja is on a five-fight win streak, with three contests going the distance. “The Cannibal” beat Brandon Moreno for flyweight gold, and looks for his second successful title defense.
Erceg is ranked tenth in the UFC’s flyweight rankings. The Aussie is on an eleven-fight win streak and is 3-0 in the octagon, His impressive win against Matt Schnell caught the eye the UFC, and a busy division meant he was the next man up to challenge Pantoja.
The underdog, Erceg understands how dangerous Patoja can be, given his eight wins via knockout, ten via submission, and nine decision wins. Erceg has given Pantoja his flowers, but believes there is a way to bring an end to his reign.
WATCH: UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg, exclusively on ESPN+
“I think honestly it’s his mental toughness,” Erceg told Submission Radio via Sherdog. “Like he gets hit, he gets put into bad spots sometimes, but he just keeps going forward. He gets tired and he finds a way to keep pushing the whole fight. Somebody that’s not gonna give up is obviously a very dangerous person.
“He has great skills outside of that, but some people with great skills, they’re not winning the way they expect to be winning, they break. But I don’t think he will break. Someone has to take it away from him.”
Pantoja won’t be the only one performing in front of his fellow countrymen. Jose Aldo competes in a cage for the first time since 2022 to fight Jonathan Martinez. The former UFC featherweight champion and recent inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame has one fight left with the promotion, and looks to make the ultimate comeback, even if it may be for the final time.
The Sporting News will provide results from the entire UFC 301 card.
Main Card
Prelims
Early Prelims
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The early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET, with the prelims at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is at 10 p.m. ET. Pantoja and Erceg should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
UFC 301 is in the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The arena can hold up to 18,000+ people.
In the U.S., the UFC 301 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 301 is $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $134.98 for the UFC 301 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.
In the UK, the main card is on TNT Sports Box Office and will cost £19.99.
WATCH: UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg, exclusively on ESPN+
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
If UFC 301 is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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