Athletes
Steve Erceg Aiming to Cement His Place In The Flyweight Ranks
Former Title Challenger Seeking Third Straight Win On Saturday In Abu Dhabi
Few athletes have had the ebb and flow at the outset of their UFC career the way that Steve Erceg has over the past three years.
Debuting as a short-notice replacement in Vancouver against ranked prospect David Dvorak, the Australian flyweight bested “The Undertaker” and earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts before out-hustling Alessandro Costa at Madison Square Garden and flat-lining Matt Schnell less than four months later to put earn himself a championship opportunity against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro before even celebrating one year on the roster.
A close, competitive fight with the champion ended his winning streak but affirmed his standing as an elite talent in the 125-pound ranks, but a knockout loss at home against Kai Kara-France and a decision defeat at the hands of Brandon Moreno in Mexico City in March 2025 left many questioning whether the Perth man was about to be another “quick burn” competitor that starts fast, but fades out even faster inside the Octagon.
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But after a decision win over Ode’ Osbourne set things on the winning track again, Erceg opened 2026 with a second consecutive victory, besting Tim Elliott at home in Perth, steadying himself in the ever-changing flyweight division, and he hopes to keep that momentum heading into his fight with Ramazan Temirov on July 25.
“It felt awesome — to walk out to your home crowd and give them something to cheer about, fighting an opponent that has been around for such a long time, such a good fighter, adding that feather to my cap is very exciting,” Erceg said. “It was very fun,” he said of facing the trash-talking, often frantic Elliott and dealing with his antics. “Leading up, I was expecting it and at the end of the first round, he took me down and put his chin in my eye. It didn’t bother me, but I went to push his face away, and he complained that I was poking him in the eye, and I was like, ‘Bro, you’re literally putting your chin in my eye,’ and he goes, ‘That’s f*****’ legal, m*****f******!’
“I was like, ‘Alright, we’re fighting, c***! Let’s go!’” Erceg added with a laugh. “Good fun.”
Having fun again is definitely a welcomed feeling and one that the soon-to-be 31-year-old had to work to find again after his string of setbacks. Erceg believed he was fighting “not to lose,” especially after his decision loss to Moreno.
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Fortunately for Erceg, he was keen to make the shift and address the issue as soon as he started making the frustrated walk back to the locker room.
“I felt physically sick with myself after the Moreno fight; like, ‘How could you go out there and not give it everything you’ve got?’” he began. “I never want to go out there feeling like I didn’t give my 100-percent, and so I prefer getting knocked out to not trying, if that’s what’s gonna happen… Then it was just about how do I make sure I come to terms with that in the fight. I don’t know if there was any specific answer or introspection and it happened naturally.”
Steve Erceg: 'Take Him Into Deep Waters And Try To Drown Him' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Steve Erceg: 'Take Him Into Deep Waters And Try To Drown Him' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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That quick pivot is exemplary of the overall greatest takeaways the Australian has experienced through these first three years on the roster, where he was thrust into the thick of the chase straight out of the gates before hitting a rough patch and being forced to find a way to steer through it.
“Honestly, the confidence in my skills and calmness I have with competition has definitely increased,” Erceg said. “I think getting to feel the level, knowing that I’m on the level, and I guess just maturing and knowing you can’t control everything… Things are gonna go how they’re gonna go, and things are gonna be fine at the end of the day.”
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Having righted the ship and collected his first UFC win at home, the rankings mainstay now looks to push his winning streak to three and further solidify his place in the action-packed 125-pound weight class.
Erceg has been energized not only by the thrilling battles that have recently taken place in his division, but inside the Octagon in general over the last handful of weeks, and wants to use this weekend’s clash with Temirov as a chance to cement his standing as a top-10 talent.
“It’s not even just the flyweight fights — it’s all good fights,” he said. “It’s like, ‘I wanna have a fight like that! I wanna prove that I’m as good as this guy!’ There have been so many good fights lately that it’s definitely pumping me up… The division is very exciting at the moment; the parity at the top of the division is awesome. You’ve got Pantoja who got injured when he fought (Joshua) Van, so he wants his shot. Manel Kape has looked so good, so he wants his shot, and there’s a lot of other guys coming up.
“Where do I fit? I think this fight will put me with the top-8 guys, top-5 guys and I’ll be looking to fight Royval and any of the guys that aren’t quite ready for the next title shot. I’ll fight those guys, which will put me in a good spot in the future.”
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This weekend’s matchup with Temirov is a tricky one as he has been out for the last 18 months. Having that much time to work can afford competitors a chance to add new wrinkles to their game and develop new approaches foes, but like most competitors at the highest level, Erceg’s chief concern has been on developing his own game. He’s confident that, even if Temirov rolls out something new, he’ll not only be able to deal with it, but also give the returning fighter more than he can handle in return.
“You can’t prepare for what you don’t know,” began Erceg. “I have watched his previous tape and I’m preparing against the tools that he has shown in the past, and at the end of the day, how you get around that (is that) I’m developing all of my skills against different opponents, different styles all the time, so if he does something wild and wacky that I didn’t expect, it’s okay because I’ve seen something like that before and I’ll be able to adapt on the fly… I need to manage my range, and I need to use all my skills, basically. He’s gonna come out real hot — I know that — but he won’t’ be able to go with my pace for three rounds.
“I’m gonna melt him and get him out of there.”
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And with his birthday right around the corner, a flight home off a third straight win with an assortment if tasty treats to feast on sounds like the perfect way to head home, where he’s looking to crush all things Oreo.
“I’m just thinking about food,” Erceg said with a smile when asked how he intends to celebrate his birthday. “I’ve got a craving for Oreos at the moment, so Oreo cakes, Oreo brownies; you name it, I want anything Oreo-related.
“It’s gonna be awesome. Victorious with some Dubai chocolate cakes and all sorts of confectionaries on the way home, ready to celebrate.”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Guskov took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 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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