Michael Bisping doesn’t think Steve Erceg is ready for Alexandre Pantoja.
Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) defends his flyweight title against Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 301 (Pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) main event at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Bisping marveled at Pantoja’s resume, which includes two wins over Brandon Moreno, two wins over Brandon Royval, as well as top-ranked contenders Alex Perez and Manel Kape.
“Alexandre Pantoja, this man’s phenomenal,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He’s pretty much gone through the entire flyweight division: Brandon Moreno, the Royvals, the Kapes. You name it, he’s been there and done it.
“The man’s phenomenal. He’s got no weak areas. He’s got a strong mind. He’s resilient. He’s got an amazing gas tank. He can strike, he can wrestle, he’s got world-class jiu-jitsu and he’s a nasty bastard on top of it.”
Pantoja opened up as a sizable favorite, but the line has gotten closer on fight week. The champion is currently a -200 favorite according to FanDuel, while Erceg is a +154 underdog.
Bisping sees Pantoja as a big favorite, and would view an Erceg win as a massive upset.
“Will he get it done? (I) love Steve Erceg – nice guy. But this isn’t the one,” Bisping said. “It’s just not the one. Not right now, and I say that with respect to Steve. I wish you all the best, brother. I hope you can prove me wrong, and I really do mean that.
“Alexandre Pantoja is too skilled, too experienced. But you never know. One shot is all it takes in those 4-ounce gloves. But of course, in the main event, I’ve got the one and only Alexandre Pantoja.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.
