Alexandre Pantoja overcomes nasty cut and huge battle with unheralded challenger Steve Erceg at UFC 301 to win decision after five-round thriller, as Brazilian retains title in Rio de Janeiro

Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title after a unanimous decision win against Steve Erceg in front of his home crowd in Brazil at UFC 301.

Pantoja held off the challenger to retain his belt and earned a clean sweep on the scorecards (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) - but also sustained a nasty cut on his face.

The favourite was made to work against his unheralded opponent in Rio de Janeiro, having started on top in round one before being dragged into a bloody war.

A valiant Erceg more than held his own across the pulsating back-and-forth showdown but Pantoja's control on the ground ultimately proved decisive.

'I'm in here to fight the best in the world and this guy's one of them,' Pantoja said.

'What a tough opponent to have in here. I think I need to move my head, these guys are hitting me too much. What an incredible guy, an incredible opponent.' 

Pantoja started aggressively but Erceg, who came so close to a shock in front of a raucous full house, countered effectively in a flurry of striking exchanges.

The defending champion suffered a bloodied face in the third round, however, after Erceg landed a perfectly timed elbow that cracked against Pantoja's head.

As the bout ticked into the championship rounds, Pantoja looked to punish Erceg on the canvas despite the blood that poured down his forehead and across his face. 

With less than two minutes remaining, Pantoja reversed an attempted takedown from his opponent to wrestle back control and clinically closed out the fight. 

A bitterly disappointed Erceg rued the mistakes he made in the final round. 

'I thought that if I could win the last round at least, I'd give myself a chance,' he said. 

'I just blew it.' 

Earlier in the evening, Jose Aldo had electrified the crowd in the co-main event after his dominant victory against Jonathan Martinez on his return from retirement. 

Aldo was back to his blistering best on his way to outpointing his opponent and later revealed he wants to re-sign with the UFC for one final shot at the title.