UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg: Live round-by-round updates

UFC 301 is headlined by an exciting title clash between Steve Erceg and UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. The event takes place at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4.

'The Cannibal' comes into the fight riding a five-fight win streak that includes victories over prominent fighters like Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno, Alex Perez and Manel Kape.

Erceg, on the other hand, only has three fights in the UFC. 'Astro Boy' has won all of them and enters UFC 301 with an 11-fight win streak.

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UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg

Round 1

Pantoja started the fight with a leg kick and attempted a takedown. Erceg managed to keep the fight on the feet. Erceg landed an impressive combo on the champion. 'The Cannibal' landed a knee. An accidental clash of heads caused 'Astro Boy' to bleed from the forehead.

Pantoja scored back-to-back takedowns and tried to get a hold of his opponent's back. The champion landed a few strikes before Erceg got back on his feet.

Round 2

Erceg landed a kick to the champion's body. Pantoja scored a takedown and got into top position. The challenger managed to get the fight back to the feet. Erceg hit Pantoja with a combo and attempted a takedown of his own but failed.

Erceg landed several heavy blows, including an elbow, to 'The Cannibal's head, who attempted a takedown but 'Astro Boy' stuffed it. The 28-year-old started finding his timing but the champion again took him down to the ground.

Round 3

Erceg started the round with an elbow strike. Pantoja hit the challenger with a calf kick. Pantoja got 'Astro Boy' in a clinch against the cage. An illegal strike by the champion caused a short pause in the fight. A brutal elbow by the Australian caused bleeding on Pantoja's forehead.

Round 4

Erceg opened the round with a counter right hand. 'Astro Boy' attempted a takedown but the Brazilian successfully resisted. The Australian kept putting his jab to good use throughout the round.

Round 5

Erceg finally managed to score a takedown in the opening minute. 'The Cannibal' responded with a takedown of his own. The Australian landed an uppercut and an elbow a few seconds later.

Erceg took the champion down but Pantoja reversed it and got into top position. The two fighters scrambled for control as the round came to an end.

After a gruelling 25-minute battle, the Brazilian was declared the winner by unanimous decision. The three judges scored the contest 48-47, 48-47 andd 49-46 in favor of Pantoja.