Steve Erceg shares heartbroken first reaction after narrow defeat to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301

Steve Erceg pushed Alexandre Pantoja to the brink in the main event of UFC 301 on May 4, with the flyweight champion defending his title in front of a Brazilian home crowd.

'Astro Boy' signed with the promotion less than a year ago, and with only three fights in the octagon before his title fight with Pantoja, little was known about the unassuming Australian.

But Erceg was able to compete with his opponent in all realms of the fight, and arguably dominated the exchanges on the feet, landing several elbows that opened up nasty cuts on Pantoja's head.

After a competitive five-round contest, the judges awarded 'The Cannibal' a decision victory, much to the title challenger's disappointment.

He was interviewed by Full Send MMA backstage following the defeat, where the 28-year-old was visibly emotional as he reflected on the result, saying:

"I'm obviously devastated. Despite the short-notice, [only having] three fights in the UFC, I came to win. I thought I could do it... He just out-scrambled me. I've got to get better, and I'll be back."

He continued:

"I knew it was close in the third [round]. I knew I won the fourth, I knew if I could win the last round then I'll leave myself in position that I give myself a chance [to win]. I just blew it."

Watch Steve Erceg's interview below from 0:00:

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Alexandre Pantoja discusses his victory over Steve Erceg

UFC 301 was headlined by a flyweight title bout between Alexandre Pantoja and No.10 ranked contender Steve Erceg.

With Erceg entering the bout as an unknown quantity to most MMA fans, there was not as much hype surrounding the title fight as there normally would be. But the bout entertained those who watched, with both men trading blows at a frenetic pace.

'The Cannibal' successfully defended his title for a second time after being awarded a decision victory. Following the bout, the Brazilian appeared in front of the media, where he discussed his clash with 'Astro Boy' saying this:

"I did expect the fight to end sooner, but again, [Erceg] is very tough... You could see right away when that elbow landed I tried to stop the bleeding with my hands. Everyone was overlooking him because he's ranked tenth in the division. But I've always said this division is entirely tough, you can take the tenth-ranked guy and fight against the champion, and you guys saw exactly that tonight." [Translated from Portuguese]

Watch Alexandre Pantoja reflect on beating Steve Erceg below: