Steve Erceg isn’t sugarcoating the moment. The Australian flyweight returns this Saturday at UFC Vegas 109 in what he sees as a do-or-die co-main event against Ode Osbourne. While the bout will be contested at bantamweight due to short notice, the stakes remain high.
A year ago, Erceg was headlining a pay-per-view and challenging for UFC gold. Now, he’s walking into the Apex on a three-fight losing skid, trying to save his career in UFC.
“Unfortunately, I’m on three losses and I could be fighting for my contract,” Erceg told MMA Fighting. “But, yeah, I think when you try to overthink and put too much on your plate, it can be detrimental. So I’m going to go out there and I’m going to punch another guy in the face, and if I win, I know I did everything I could to do so. If I lose, that’s life, unfortunately.”
Steve Erceg burst into the UFC spotlight with a decision win over David Dvorak, followed by victories over Alessandro Costa and a knockout of Matt Schnell. The three wins earned him a quick title shot at UFC 301 against Alexandre Pantoja. Despite a strong showing, he lost a close decision when Kai Kara-France knocked him out at UFC 312, and Brandon Moreno outpointed him in March at UFC Mexico.
Although he’s dropped three in a row, all those losses came against elite flyweights. Erceg still believes in his skill set and sees this fight as the perfect opportunity to reset.
“Honestly, I think the biggest lesson is that I’m the man, I guess,” he said. “I’ve been looking at these guys like, ‘Oh, I’m fighting Moreno, I’m fighting Pantoja,’ and then, ‘Oh, they might know something I don’t know,’ or, ‘Oh, he’s fought five rounds.’ I’m thinking of all these things about how great they are, and then I’m not giving myself the credit I deserve, I guess.”
Reflecting on his title fight with Pantoja, Erceg admitted he held back at times when he should have pressed forward.
“In the Pantoja fight, for instance, the fourth round, I was like, ‘Oh, I think he’s getting tired. I should start pushing.’ But then I thought, maybe he’s saving something. Maybe I shouldn’t blow my load and risk getting finished. Whereas now, it’s like, ‘No, he is getting tired. Screw this guy. Let’s break him.’ That’s how I’m trying to look at things.”
The road to UFC Vegas 109 has been just as chaotic as the last year of his career. Originally booked to fight Alex Perez, Erceg was then matched with Hyun Sung Park, who later got bumped to UFC Vegas 108’s main event. Erceg was offered that spot but had to decline. Now, he’s set to face Osbourne, an aggressive striker known for his finishing ability.
“It’ll be something similar to the way people are talking about Taira this week,” Erceg said. “Future UFC champion in the making, blah blah blah.”
Erceg knows what’s at stake, and he’s not shying away from it. A win on Saturday keeps the dream alive and more importantly, keeps him on the UFC roster.
