- Alexandre Pantoja held off challenger Steve Erceg to defend his flyweight belt
- Pantoja, who fought in his native Brazil, earned a clean win on the scorecard.
- But it was far from plain sailing as Pantoja suffered a bloody cut to his forehead.
Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his UFC flyweight title after a unanimous decision victory against Steve Erceg in front of his home crowd in Brazil.
Pantoja held off the challenger to retain his belt and earned a big win on the scorecards (48-47, 48-47, 49-46), but also suffered a nasty cut to his face.
The favorite had to work against his unexpected opponent in Rio de Janeiro, having started on top in the first round before being dragged into a bloody war.
A brave Erceg stood his ground during the vibrant clash, but Pantoja’s control of the field ultimately proved decisive.
“I’m here to fight the best in the world and this guy is one of them,” Pantoja said.
‘What a difficult opponent to have here. I think I need to move my head, these guys are hitting me too hard. What an incredible guy, what an incredible opponent.”
Earlier in the event, José Aldo had electrified the crowd in the co-main event after his dominant victory against Jonathan Martínez in his return from retirement.
More to follow.