Steve Erceg rips Alexandre Pantoja after claiming he “hit like a girl” in UFC 301 title fight

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg’s immense respect for Alexandre Pantoja has faltered since their May title clash.

Erceg fell to Pantoja by unanimous decision at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. The loss snapped an 11-fight winning streak, including a 3-0 unbeaten run inside the UFC entering his first promotional five-rounder.

Despite the defeat, Erceg’s stock rose sharply for those UFC fans who might’ve not been familiar with his skill set. He’s rumored to return at UFC 305 in Perth, potentially against fellow Oceania star Kai Kara-France.

Erceg aims to get right back into the title conversation with another win in the Octagon. After a cordial back-and-forth with Pantoja ahead of UFC 301, tensions have ramped up after their clash.

The bad blood began when Pantoja said during an appearance on the Show Me The Money podcast that Erceg “hit like a girl” in their fight. Erceg didn’t take kindly to those remarks.

Steve Erceg’s stance on Alexandre Pantoja pivoted after UFC 301

In a recent sitdown with MainEvent, Erceg responded to Pantoja’s post-UFC 301 jabs.

“Something about Pantoja…he talks a lot,” Erceg said. “I guess everything annoys me now, but he just talks for so long. Obviously, that competitive thing between anyone in the flyweight division, the fact he has a win over me…I’m going to do everything I can to work my way back, do whatever it takes…

“I hate the fact that guy beat me, he’s so deficient in so many areas, it bothers me greatly…after, he said some stuff about ‘I hit like a girl’ and that sort of stuff. If I hit like a girl, I don’t know what girls you’ve been around, but your face and your nose was bloodied up after the fight.”

Pantoja is expected to return to the cage later this year against a to-be-determined contender. Amir Albazi and recent victor Tatsuro Taira are two possibilities for his next title defense.

Erceg defeated Matt Schnell, Alessandro Costa, and David Dvořák before UFC 301. As he prepares for his UFC comeback, he has the champion squarely in his sights.