Brendan Miller
José Aldo sent his fellow Brazilians into a frenzy on January 14, 2012. After knocking out Chad Mendes at 4:59 of the first round of their UFC featherweight title fight, Aldo jumped into the crowd to celebrate with his people. He was instantly swept away by a sea of humanity. It’s an iconic moment in UFC history, one that Alexandre Pantoja hopes to replicate at UFC 301 this weekend.
“I hope to do like he did with Chad Mendes. Knock him out and run through the crowd,” said the UFC flyweight champion. told CBS Sports. “I can imagine it. I would be super happy with this moment. I can’t lie. I never dreamed this moment could happen.”
Pantoja debuted in MMA on the regional scene in Rio de Janeiro. He moved to the United States in 2014 to fulfill his dream of signing with the UFC and hasn’t fought in Brazil since. A decade later, Pantoja returns to the city where he was born carrying the weight of UFC gold and the hopes of a nation as one of the two current Brazilian champions.
“I never fought in Brazil for the UFC. Now, 10 years later, I return as the king of the belt,” said Pantoja. “That’s why I feel so happy. Everyone feels that. Everyone in my life feels that moment with me. Everyone is super happy. But I know that’s not going to happen if I don’t win this fight.”
It’s a meeting of kings this weekend, with Pantoja sharing the UFC 301 poster with the original “King of Rio,” who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last year. But, as Pantoja says, the celebration cannot begin until the mission is completed. Steve Erceg is tasked with robbing Pantoja and the fans of a moving moment as a flyweight title challenger.
“I booked a stunt double to jump into the crowd so everyone can kill him while I escape out the back door,” Erceg jokingly told CBS Sports. “That’s my escape plan.”
Erceg finds himself fighting for the UFC title much sooner than he expected. The Australian fighter made his UFC debut last June. He went three for three in the promotion and is headlining a UFC pay-per-view 11 months after his debut. There is an undercurrent of admiration for Erceg’s potential, but some believe it is too much, too soon for the UFC’s No. 10 contender.
“It’s definitely been a crazy journey so far…” said Erceg. “They keep offering me fights – whether short-term or whatever – and I keep taking them. It hasn’t been a long journey, but I’m in the place I want to be.
“If you guys don’t think I deserve it and I’m not good enough, then I’ll take a beating and we’ll move on. Yes, I’m going to go there and take the title from Pantoja. It will be difficult to say that I am not good enough.”
Check out the full interview with Steve Erceg below.
