Erceg plans to beat Pantoja in front of his compatriots

Steve Erceg, a fighter in the UFC's lightest division, shared his expectations for his upcoming fight with the division's champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

"Pantoja is good - he's champion for a reason. He's strongest on the ground, he has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Plus, he's stronger than he looks. He also has a very powerful chin. He does a lot of things wrong in the standup, but he gets away with it because he holds his punches. So no, I'm not going to run him over. It's going to be a tough, tough fight. We'll see who turns out to be stronger.... I'm glad I'll be fighting against Pantoja at his house. It'll be loud, I'll be booed. But I've fought in front of unfriendly fans before. I'm looking forward to beating the Brazilian in front of his countrymen and leaving the arena holding the belt," Lowkick MMA quoted Erceg as saying.

"Pantoja is good - he's a champion for a reason. He's strongest on the ground, he has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Plus, he's stronger than he looks. He also has a very powerful chin. He does a lot of things wrong in the standup, but he gets away with it because he holds his punches. So no, I'm not going to run him over. It's going to be a tough, tough fight. We'll see who turns out to be stronger.... I'm glad I'll be fighting against Pantoja at his house. It'll be loud, I'll be booed. But I've fought in front of unfriendly fans before. I'm looking forward to beating the Brazilian in front of his countrymen and leaving the arena holding the belt," Lowkick MMA quoted Erceg as saying.