Steve Erceg reacts to UFC 301 loss against Alexandre Pantoja: “I Just Blew It”

Steve Erceg reacted shortly after falling short in his first UFC title fight against Alexandre Pantoja.

The two flyweights shared the Octagon in the main event of UFC 301. Pantoja’s gold was at stake. Erceg opened up a lot of eyes despite dropping a unanimous decision against the UFC Flyweight Champion. Some have even argued that Erceg won the fight, but the challenger seemed to know that it was down to the final round and he couldn’t seal the deal.

In his immediate post-fight reaction, Steve Erceg looked quite disappointed that he couldn’t gain the upper hand in the fifth frame.

RELATED: PROS REACT AFTER ALEXANDRE PANTOJA DEFEATS STEVE ERCEG AT UFC 301

Steve Erceg on UFC 301 Defeat: “I Just Blew It”

Speaking to Daniel Cormier during his UFC 301 post-fight interview, Erceg said he believed going into the fifth round that if he had been able to outpoint Alexandre Pantoja in the final round he would’ve been the new UFC Flyweight Championship holder (h/t MMAFighting).

“I thought that if I could win the last round at least, I’d give myself a chance,” Erceg said in his post-fight interview. “I just blew it.”

Erceg said that after the third round is when he felt the fight could come down to the wire.

“I thought the third [round], I think it was the third that was close enough, like he got me down a couple times but there was no real control, and I got up and beat him on the feet,” Erceg said.

Erceg admitted there was one area in the fight that Pantoja caught him off guard with.

“I was surprised how well he could scramble,” Erceg said. “I usually beat guys there. It was a shock.”

Fans and experts have given Erceg his due for providing a legit threat to Pantoja’s gold, and he figures to be in for a rankings boost despite the losing effort.