Steve Erceg didn't walk away with the UFC flyweight crown, but the West Australian has won over a legion of new fans after a gutsy display against the undisputed champion Alexandre Pantoja in Rio de Janeiro.
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Pantoja won Saturday night's bout (Sunday EST) by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the five-round contest 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.
But Erceg had his chances to win, landing a series of heavy blows in rounds two, three and four to leave the champion bloodied and bruised.
However, Erceg's decision to twice go for take-downs in the fifth round proved his undoing, with Pantoja reversing the move on each occasion to dominate the round on the way to victory.
If Erceg had come up trumps in the fifth round, he would have won the bout.
"I thought if I could win the last round I would give myself a chance, but I just blew it," a devastated Erceg said after the bout.
"I was surprised by how well he scrambled. I usually beat guys there, so it was a shock."
Erceg, fighting for just the fourth time in his UFC career, landed 80 significant head strikes compared to Pantoja's 54, but it was the Brazilian who dominated when it came to on-ground grappling.
"What an incredible guy, an incredible opponent," Pantoja said of Erceg after the fight.
Pantoja, spurred by the crowd's death chant of "uh vai morrer" (you're going to die) at Farmasi Arena, won the first round despite an early kick-punch blow from Erceg.
Erceg spent most of the round battling for survival on the ground as Pantoja's grappling skills came to the fore.
The Australian was taken down again early in the second round but was able to get out of trouble and immediately went on the attack, landing a huge right elbow and left hook on the champion.
Pantoja was left with blood streaming from his forehead after a huge right elbow from Erceg in the third round.
The blood started getting into Pantoja's left eye in a fourth round that Erceg largely controlled.
But Erceg's attempt to twice go for the take-down in the fifth ultimately brought him undone.
Erceg has enjoyed a meteoric rise since making his UFC debut in June last year.
After dispatching David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa and Matt Schnell in impressive fashion, Erceg was given the chance of a lifetime when offered the title about against Pantoja.
Despite the loss, Erceg's gutsy performance is sure to earn him more opportunities against some of the best fighters in the flyweight division.
In the co-main event, UFC hall of famer Jose Aldo came out retirement to defeat No.13-ranked bantamweight Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision.
Aldo, labelled the greatest featherweight by all time by Australian UFC star Alexander Volkanovski, was competing for the first time since August, 2022.
The 37-year-old Brazilian showed no signs of rust, landing a series of brutal blows in the third round to secure victory.
Aldo consoled a devastated Martinez straight after the final bell in an emotional moment between the two fighters.
"I said this wasn't going to be my last fight," Aldo said.
"I'm at the age where I can still fight. Maybe I can get back in there and be the champion."
In the middleweight bout, world No.14 Caio Borralho thrilled the home crowd when he knocked out world No.13 Paul Craig in the second round.
Australian Associated Press
