Representatives of the organization officially announced that the current UFC featherweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, will defend his title on May 4 at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazilian’s opponent will be Australian Steve Erceg, ranked tenth in the division’s rankings.
The championship fight will be the main event of the Brazilian numbered event.
Last July, Alexandre Pantoja took the UFC championship belt away from Brandon Moreno by defeating the Mexican by split decision, and in December made his first successful title defense by winning a unanimous decision over Brandon Royval.
Steve Erceg, 28, who debuted in the organization last June, has three wins in the UFC, winning by decisions over David Dvorak and Alessandro Costa, and knocking out Matt Schnell.
Pantoja’s next opponent was originally expected to be Britain’s Muhammad Mokaev, who has defeated former title challengers in his last two fights and is ranked seventh in the UFC’s lightweight division.