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.
Michael Bisping: ‘Nasty bastard’ Alexandre Pantoja has no weak areas, beats Steve Erceg at UFC 301