:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/6QRRE7GX2VCB7KVYFDNZHOCKJQ.jpg "In front of his audience, Pantoja defeats Erceg at UFC 301")
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Local Alexandre Pantoja defeated Australian Steve Erceg by unanimous decision on Saturday to retain his flyweight title at UFC 301.
Pantoja (28-5) dominated the fight against Erceg (12-2) but could not secure the victory until after five rounds.
The 34-year-old Brazilian, who won the belt in July with a victory over the Mexican Brandon Moreno, defended his title in November against Brandon Royval.
In his country, he took charge of Erceg, to achieve his sixth victory and remain undefeated in almost four years.
Erceg, 28, defeated David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa and Matthew Schell to earn the right to clash with Pantoja.
In the other most notable fight of the show, José Aldo, one of Brazil’s former world champions, returned to the octagon after 21 months and won by unanimous decision against the American Jonathan Martínez.