Athletes
Steve Erceg | Aiming For Redemption
Perth’s Steve Erceg Hopes To Give His Hometown Fans Plenty To Cheer About When He Faces Tim Elliott At UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates On May 2
Steve Erceg is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover.
He is also a living argument against judging a fighter based on their record.
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The unassuming Australian, who, according to social media comments, is more likely to draw comparisons to Steve Carell and David Schwimmer than to other mixed martial artists, is undoubtedly one of the best 125-pound fighters in the world. Yes, his Octagon record stands at 4-3, but a quick investigation reveals that those three losses came against two former champions and a multi-time title challenger in Alexandre Pantoja, Brandon Moreno, and Kai Kara-France, respectively. And particularly against Pantoja and Moreno, Erceg was a moment or two away from taking home decision wins of his own.
Combat sports is a results-based life, though, and Erceg halted his 3-fight skid with a decision win over Ode’ Osbourne in August. With that weight off his shoulders, he returns to his hometown to face former title challenger Tim Elliott on May 2 and hopes he can put his best foot forward against the veteran.
Steve Erceg Fight Week Interview | UFC Perth
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Steve Erceg Fight Week Interview | UFC Perth
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“I think I've been too focused on, ‘I need to improve my striking,’ or, ‘This guy does this well,’ and all that sort of stuff,” Erceg told UFC.com. “I've been making myself well-rounded for a long time for a reason. (I am) just trusting my skills and trying to put it all together.”
Of all the unique challenges on the roster, Elliott stands out. His quirky footwork, relentless pace, and veteran know-how have felled opponents for more than a decade, and one could say he is in his best form in years after scoring a submission win over Kai Asakura in August.
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“Astroboy” said he needs to stay mindful against Elliott and remain steady if he finds the 39-year-old difficult to hit early in the matchup.
“He's going to try to make the fight look ugly, going to try to make it a fight,” Erceg said. “I know that it's not going to be a contest of who has a nice jab and all that sort of stuff. It's like, ‘Who wants it the most?’ And it's going to be a very big contrast because I want to keep it clean and tidy, and he wants to make it dirty and ugly, so we'll see. They (are) kind of like the Kryptonite of each other, if that makes sense, so it's going to be interesting to see who can put together their skills and make it into (the) fight they want.”
There’s a little sense of redemption to this fight for Erceg as well. The last time he competed in his hometown, he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Kara-France. Erceg joked he thinks about the loss every time he walks by RAC Arena, but he does want to wipe the taste of that defeat properly on May 2.
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From there, the doors remain wide-open with newer contenders like Lone’er Kavanaugh, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Tatsuro Taira in the mix, along with champion Joshua Van. Ereceg, still just 30, is sort of in between that old guard and the new, but on fight night, all he cares about is reminding everyone he deserves consideration in the title queue.
“It's exciting,” he said. “Spoiled with options as far as who, who I want to fight, who I can fight, and the other good guys in the division at the moment. It’s very exciting, looking forward.”
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on May 2, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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