Steve Erceg admits doubts prior to UFC on ESPN 72 rebound win: 'Was I a fraud all along?'

USA Today

a day ago

LAS VEGAS – Steve Erceg is only human, so it was natural he had concerns about his position going into a critical moment Saturday at UFC on ESPN 72.
With the pressure of a three-fight losing skid and facing a short notice opponent in Ode Osbourne (13-9 MMA, 5-7 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, former flyweight title challenger Erceg (13-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) rose to the occasion with a unanimous decision victory to put himself back in the win column.
"Relieved," Erceg told MMA Junkie and other reporters of his emotions post-fight at UFC on ESPN 72. "It's been a while, so it's good to be answering questions again after the fight. (There was) heaps (of pressure). Obviously you have doubts running through your head like, 'Was I a fraud all along? Do I really belong? Do I deserve to be here?' – all that nonsense. It's good to fight a tough guy in the UFC who has been here for ages and get a tough win."
Although Erceg only lost to the best in champion Alexandre Pantoja, former champion Brandon Moreno and two-time title contender Kai Kara-France during his drought, he was well aware quality of competition only makes up for so much.
He needed to get his hand raised, and after being hurt "pretty bad" by an Osbourne punch in the first round, Erceg was forced to battle back in the second and third rounds to gut out a career-saving triumph.
"I thought I did enough, but you never really know," Erceg said. "I had his back in the second, I had his back in the third, so I thought I did enough."
With the hard times now behind him, Erceg can look ahead to the future with some hopes of building momentum. The 30-year-old Australian is eyeing a quick turnaround and hopes matchmakers can find him an opponent for UFC Fight Night 260 on Sept. 27 in Perth.
"I think (I can turn around for Perth card)," Erceg said. "You never know, but I think I can at the moment for sure. That's the plan."