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Steve Erceg of Australia poses for a portrait after his victory during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
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Steve Erceg Just Wants To ‘Earn His Spot’

Fresh Off Challenging For The Title, Steve Erceg Hopes To Makes His Homecoming Bout A Memorable One At UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya

Steve Erceg’s rapid rise to challenging for a UFC title was a surprise to many, as was how well the 29-year-old acquitted himself against Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil. Heading into the fifth round—the first time Erceg went past 15 minutes in his career—two judges had the bout tied at two rounds apiece. Pantoja showed the grit of a champion to take the fifth, but most people came away from UFC 301 with a new level of respect for “Astroboy.”

Reflecting on the championship opportunity, Erceg’s biggest takeaways were the fact that he could hang well with the best in the division, and that his gas tank was more than able to push for 25 minutes. Despite the high-pressure situation in which he found himself in May, Erceg said he felt way more nervous for his UFC debut in June 2023.

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“The first fight was like, ‘What if I lose, and I’m not on the level and they cut me? That's my life over,’” Erceg said during his interview with UFC.com. “Definitely, the title fight was way more comfortable. I'd been there before. I really did believe that I going to win that fight.”

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Ultimately, the judges gave Pantoja the unanimous nod, Erceg put those lessons to work in training camp ahead of his upcoming co-main event opposite Kai Kara-France at UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya. Title fight aside, this fight against Kara-France makes a boatload of sense in a flyweight division that feels like it is in transition while Pantoja continues his reign. 

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For Erceg, the five rounds he went in Brazil gave him a gift of a lesson: that he can not only last 25 minutes, but go at the pace he feels necessary to find success. Now facing a three-round test against New Zealand’s top 125er, Erceg is excited to push the action against “Don’t Blink.”

Steve Erceg of Australia prepares to face Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in a UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC)
Steve Erceg of Australia prepares to face Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in a UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC)

“I'm going to be so confident that I can go three rounds at a higher pace,” Erceg said. “(I have) faith in myself that I can just go crazy, and I'll make it to the end. I've been hit. I've been tested in plenty of my fights. I've been in there with the best in the world, so there's no reason why this should be any different. I'm going to go out there, do my best, and I know I can hang.”

Not that Erceg needs any more encouragement to “go crazy,” but he will have the unique boost of fighting in one’s hometown with him. The Perth-born contender knows the “super animated” Australian crowd will get behind him as he makes the walk. That said, he plans to keep his focus on the task at hand rather than drink in the scenes. The celebrating, Erceg says, can happen after he gets the job done.

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That doesn’t mean he isn’t imagining what the energy is going to be like when that moment comes. He compares it to childhood dreams of kicking the game-winning goal in an Australian Football League match, and a win in RAC Arena would be a perfect “child to adult moment.” 

Steve Erceg of Australia kicks Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in a UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC)
Steve Erceg of Australia kicks Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil in a UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC)

Grandeur aside, Erceg is well-aware of the challenge he faces in Kara-France. The former interim title challenger has become a mainstay in the flyweight division since making his debut in March 2018 following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter. Erceg feels like he has “more weapons” than Kara-France in the matchup, and as long as he uses his whole skillset, he believes he has what it takes to get back into the winner’s circle. 

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Although Erceg is going to have a bit of a hard time earning a second crack at the UFC title as long as Pantoja continues his reign, the close nature of their first fight and the myriad of fellow contenders he can potentially fight makes for a little friendlier of a road ahead. 
 

teve Erceg of Australia punches Matt Schnell in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
teve Erceg of Australia punches Matt Schnell in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The title shot came as a surprise to many, including Erceg, and while he didn’t get the belt wrapped around his waist that night, he does see the various benefits to himself as a fighter as he seeks his second chance. Nothing boosts one’s confidence like earning the UFC title, but getting as close as Erceg did as early as he did does stand to shape him into a more mature, more confident fighter in irreplaceable ways.

Of course, the only way to make good on those lessons is to go out there and get his hand raised again and again, starting in Perth.

“I just need to earn my spot,” he said. “There's been plenty of times and plenty of people that have done the same thing. I just need to be undeniable. If that means beating two people, three people, five people, it doesn't matter. I'm trying to be the best in the world.”

Order UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on August 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!