When Steve Erceg entered the Octagon on May 4 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, he was not only a huge underdog; his name was barely known among UFC fans.
Erceg, then ranked No. 10 in the flyweight division, fought against champion Alexandre Pantoja in just his fourth UFC fight.
Although Erceg lost to Pantoja by decision, he was encouraged by his performance, which saw him go the full distance for the first time in his career.
“I showed people that I’m not going to back down despite the obvious pressure,” Erceg, 29, told The Post. “Even though it looked too early and all that nonsense, it probably wasn’t. I’m going to be a contender and one day I’ll eventually be the champion.”
With his first title fight behind him, Erceg is now focused on his next opponent: No. 4-ranked flyweight Kai Kara-France, who he will face on Saturday at UFC 305 in his hometown of Perth, Australia.
After his second defeat in his career and the first since 2017, Erceg feels an additional intensity in the training camp.
“You’re a little hard on yourself when things aren’t going well,” said Erceg, who now enters as a contender for the seventh spot in the division. “You have a little more urgency to improve things.”
Having fought twice in three months, Erceg has had more time to prepare for the New Zealander – although he doesn’t like waiting.
“I understand that you have to give your body a rest and that’s good. But at the same time, we train our whole lives to compete,” Erceg said. “Why would I turn down short-term opportunities or quick turns? That’s how I get paid. That’s what I like to do. I like to get in a cage with another guy and find out who’s tougher. So why would I say, ‘Oh no, I need six months every time because I need a full training camp.’ I always train. Who cares?”
As one half of the co-main event, Erceg will fight on a card headlined by the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis, neither of whom minds barbs or boasts.
However, the humble Erceg prefers to keep quiet, especially since he teaches MMA at his gym.
“I think some people talk trash because they think they have to, and it’s super embarrassing and uncomfortable,” Erceg said. “Yeah, I could go out and talk trash. I don’t think that’s necessarily my fault. Calling people names and calling them all kinds of names and then having to go to little Billy and say, ‘Oh yeah, but you shouldn’t swear,’ that doesn’t make sense to me. I try to be a good role model for them.”
Instead, Erceg takes a more modest approach: he accepts his resemblance to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) from “The Office.”
“I think the show is great,” Erceg said. “I see the comparisons between me and Steve Carell. I like to make jokes. If it’s at my expense, I don’t care. All the memes that are going around are pretty funny.”
Instead of making fun of him, the RAC Arena will likely greet Erceg with a rousing applause in his first fight as a UFC competitor in Australia.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Erceg. “I’m going to go out there and greet the home crowd with a loud roar. I’m going to go out there, do my job and then soak up the atmosphere.”
Although he is not ignoring Kara-France, Erceg has his sights set on a rematch against Pantoja, the new champion, at some point.
“The division is looking pretty good right now. There’s every chance someone can come in and challenge me for the title,” Erceg said. “I think if I beat Kai, I’ll probably have to fight one or two more times to get another title shot.”
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, Erceg is eager to prove himself the best among his competitors – and earn further respect in the process.
“I want to be the toughest fighter in the division, not just the champion,” Erceg said. “Becoming champion is the main goal, but it means nothing if you’ve evaded everyone. When people look at the flyweight division, they think, ‘Oh, Steve is hands down the best fighter in this division.’ There’s no ‘Oh, but Amir Albazi,’ none of that nonsense. I’ve beaten them all, I’m the guy. I want to fight everyone and prove it.”
