Erceg revealed what surprised him about Pantoja's fight at UFC 301

Australian UFC lightweight division fighter Steve Erceg commented on his loss to Brazilian champion Alesandre Pantoja.

"His elite grappling skills surprised me. I'm usually better at grappling than my opponents, so I was a bit shocked.

I thought the third round we had was pretty close: he moved me a few times, but I would quickly get up and then interrupt him in the standup. That round was probably behind me. And I realized that if I took the last five minutes, I would have at least some chances to win, but I screwed up," - said Pantoja.

Erceg lost to Pantoja by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.