UFC flyweight contender Steve Erceg sits down with Niko Pajarillo in the Fox Sports Theatre to rewatch his title fight against UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Rio, Brazil. #MMA #UFC
I havent even watched the video but im assuming a better title for this video would be: Steve Erceg breaks down what went wrong in his title fight Him getting emotional isnt gonna make people click
Erceg arguably won on damage 4/5 rounds. Judges pick and choose when damage is more relevant than control. Erceg is a top 5 flyweight for the next 5+ years hopefully he's able to get his way to another title shot.
@@evasta9850 so? what does control mean in mma? it isn't even scored according to ruleset, only thing that counts is effective striking or grapling that might lead to finish, i didn't know you could finish your opponent by laying on them, I guess you learn something new everyday.
@Laglager when Erceg himself admits to being down 4 to 1 or 3 to 2...how do you explain that? You saying he's wrong ? The person who was IN the fight that night vs someone who watched it ?
@@NooneTymeCollections yes he IS wrong, the reason? Most fighters just judge the fight however they want instead of looking at rules and how the fight should be evaluated. That's why he keeps talking about control despite the fact that it doesn't even count according to official rulebook.
@@dfredankey He is a better fighter and an even better mixed martial artist. Much better technique in all areas and he demonstrated it in Pantoja's hometown...but the judges are the judges
Niko does something i love, he always tells the guest what we all want to say haha. Especially when the fighters are down on themselves. Seriously such a great interviewer.
I get the sense that he learned a lot from his fight and that he isn’t dishearted, but rather emboldened and determined to get better. Also showed five round cardio, which tells me he’ll be around for a while
Awesome video format. I imagine it would be hard to find many fighters with enough humility to openly analyse and discuss their losses. I hope to see more like it. Erceg earned himself everything but the belt that night. Great performance from a great fighter.
It's a shame Steve still feels like he "blew it". I get what he's saying about opportunities, but there's a difference between coming up short and "blowing it". "Blowing it" would be making a mistake and getting finished in the first round. If that Rd5 takedown reversal was in the first minute and led straight into a submission finish, sure, you blew it. Erceg doesn't have the belt, but he definitively proved he belongs at the top of his division. That ain't blowing it.
There’s an argument for 49-46 Erceg but there is no argument for 49-46 Pantoja. Pantoja layed and did no damage and erceg landed all the significant shots, knocking his head back. I encourage all of you who said Pantoja won to watch the weasels breakdown
Tbh I think 49-46 is a bad score card going either way I would have had 48-47 either way the it’s hard bc I swear the judges change their criteria every card.
I understand from his perspective being on bottom momentarily felt as if he had lost certain rounds, but the criteria very clearly states that mere position control does not score unless the effective striking is completely even. Effective grappling is defined as securing a position to land significant strikes or attempt a submission, and Pantoja never once attempted a submission and almost never attempted ground and pound. I think it was clear that Steve was leading in the effective striking, and there was no true effective grappling that would score for either of them. When the effective output is not 100% even, positional control is not scored whatsoever, the criteria states this clearly. Its clear that he has the ability to compete at this championship level, and if he were to fight Pantoja again or any other contender he can certainly win. Had the judges actually used the criteria to the most literal, most word for word interpretation he would have been given that decision.
exactly people, who say erceg lost haven't actually read the criteria, their reasons are literally always about control when it was unimpactful and completely ineffective other than maybe 6 shots he landed down their in a full 25 minutes
after rewatching - I actually agree with steve - pantoja won that second - third and 4th was Erceg … but the 5th was pantojas ….. so I originally had 48-47 Erceg but after rewatching the second and not JUST because he thought he lost the second but rewatching does show Pantoja winning 1-2-5 instead of Erceg 2-3-4
That shot was essentially a freebie. Didnt lose anything. His ranking etc. He can now just continue climbing the rankings as he would've anyways and get another shot. 2 wins against top 6 guys and hes right back in there for a title.
@@cozy.elfenomenooooo just like how Jared Gordon lost to Paddy right, or Dominic Reyes lost to Jon Jones? You must believe everything the media tells you cuz I dont think you can form an opinion on your own.
I think he Steve won the fight pretty clearly, I don't think the fight came down to that final round. Hearing how much small things in Steve's game bugged him from this fight, I'm sure he'll improve no doubt.
This segment was money for the UFC in terms of promo material when these 2 do rematch in the future. I think all Steve has to do is beat 1 top 5 guy and he’s in their against Pantoja again and beats him after learning from his mistakes.
He won 4-1 against Pantoja in my eyes. One of the worst robberies in UFC history- up there with Jones vs Reyes and GSP vs Hendricks. No one talks about it because it is flyweight
He is a better fighter and an even better mixed martial artist. Much better technique in all areas and he demonstrated it in Pantoja's hometown...but the judges are the judges
He was so competitive and confident that I'm sure people want to see him compete again for the title, soon enough. He'll adjust and come back to go on another legendary streak like he did after his first loss. I think Erceg lost because Pantoja had experienced this kind of fight before, he's durable but not creative. I'm a fan from Iceland.
Steve was way more fun to watch than Pantoja, Pantoja is just tough and strong for the weight class...if that was not hosted in Brazil you know the Aussie walks away with the dub
Steve won this fight, hands down. It's so typical of the corrupt judges provided by the corrupt athletic commission who provide the same corrupt services to the boxing world.
had it 4-1 pantoja, idk how people see erceg winning maybe it was closer than i remember but erceg is a top tier flyweight, could see him beating some most of the top guys.
