Erceg explained why Mokaev won't fight Pantoja for the title

Australian UFC flyweight fighter Steve Erceg explained why he and not Muhammad Mokaev was the next title challenger.

"Two guys, Moreno and Royval, who are showing impressive fights, just fought for the title and lost. Amir Albazi and a couple other possible contenders are injured. There are some who flunked the weigh-ins or haven't fought in a while, so, the choice was between me and Mokaev.

Muhammed is very young, and I don't think people would be thrilled with the news that he'd be fighting for the title next after his recent fight with Perez. So the UFC was just trying to keep interest in a title fight in our division," MMA News quoted Erceg as saying.

Recall, the fight Erceg - Pantoja will take place on May 4 in the framework of the tournament UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.