Steve Erceg names UFC flyweight who can pose a threat to Alexandre Pantoja’s UFC GOAT target that hasn’t fought him yet
The UFC’s flyweight champion clearly doesn’t have any intentions of leaving anytime soon.
Joe Rogan believes that Alexandre Pantoja doesn’t get the credit he deserves after what he has accomplished at 125 pounds.
With four title defenses already under his belt, the Brazilian is now set to face Joshua Van in his next outing.
Pantoja recently claimed that he believes he can break Demetrious Johnson’s record for consecutive title defenses within three years.
While ‘The Cannibal’ has been very impressive, he’s also been tested inside the Octagon, with Steve Erceg nearly taking the belt from the champion back at UFC 301.
Steve Erceg names Tatsuro Taira among Brandon Moreno and himself as Alexandre Pantoja’s biggest threats
At UFC 301, Alexandre Pantoja dug deep in the final round to come out on top in his second title defense against Steve Erceg.
While the flyweight division is in the best place that it has been in for a long time, if there’s one issue, it’s that the champion has already beaten many of the top names who are still high in the rankings.
In the top 10 alone, he’s already recorded wins over six of them, not to mention the fact that he’s beaten some of them on multiple occasions.
| Pantoja’s opponents who are currently in the top 10 | Current flyweight ranking | Last time Pantoja fought them | Result |
| Kai Kara-France | #6 | UFC 317 – 2025 | Submission – Round 3 |
| Steve Erceg | #10 | UFC 301 – 2024 | Unanimous Decision |
| Brandon Royval | #3 | UFC 296 – 2023 | Unanimous Decision |
| Brandon Moreno | #2 | UFC 290 – 2023 | Split Decision |
| Alex Perez | #8 | UFC 277 – 2022 | Submission – Round 1 |
| Manel Kape | #7 | UFC Fight Night – 2021 | Unanimous Decision |
Erceg hopes that despite his current run of results, which he will try to put behind him this Saturday at UFC Vegas 109, he can get back to a title shot and earn a rematch with Pantoja.
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, he named himself and Brandon Moreno, who gave Pantoja a very close fight the last time they met at UFC 290, as two contenders that he believes pose the biggest threat to the champion’s reign.
Erceg did however mention a third name who hasn’t come face-to-face with ‘The Cannibal’ yet, the 25-year-old Tatsuro Taira who rebounded from his first defeat with a dominant win this past weekend.
“I think honestly, Moreno’s always got a chance to beat him. He’s obviously very good. Obviously, I believe that I can, but the other person I’d put in that bracket is Taira. I think Taira’s really good.”
- LATEST NEWS: Tatsuro Taira gives confident prediction for Alexandre Pantoja’s next UFC title defense
Steve Erceg’s main focus right now is on getting back in the win column at all costs
Steve Erceg has seemingly had a lot to think about heading into his return to the UFC Apex on Saturday night.
While he’s suffered three consecutive losses in a row, two of them were to current or former flyweight champions in Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno where he came up short in two very competitive fights.
The former title challenger has also gone through several different opponents before finally landing on a matchup with Ode Osbourne for August 9.
He told Bloody Elbow that the opponent is irrelevant to him this time around.
“Yeah, exactly what you said. I just need to get some wins back on the board. So whether that’s against a top five ranked guy, if that’s against a guy outside the rankings, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to show, not only to other people but to myself, that I can go back in here and get some wins.”
