Latest news with #Erceg
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Erceg rallies after early knockdown to save UFC career at Vegas 109
Erceg rallies after early knockdown to save UFC career at Vegas 109 originally appeared on The Sporting News Steve Erceg walked into UFC Vegas 109 knowing his career might be on the line. He left with his hand raised, halting a three-fight skid. The Australian won a gritty unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Ode Osbourne, surviving a first-round knockdown before grinding out the final two rounds. MORE:Reyes talks up Ulberg ahead of UFC Perth All three judges scored the fight for Erceg, who admitted the result wasn't pretty - but it may have been the most important win of his career. Just 15-months-ago, Erceg was fighting for UFC gold against Alexandre Pantoja. Fast forward to Sunday, and he was fighting to stay employed by the promotion. Three straight losses had shaken his self-belief and placed him firmly on the chopping block. "Unfortunately, I'm on three losses and I could be fighting for my contract," Erceg told MMA Fighting prior to the bout. Originally booked to face Alex Perez, Erceg saw two opponents withdraw before landing Osbourne - a dangerous knockout artist coming off of a win. Despite being the betting favourite, the 30-year-old understood the test that he had in-front of him. Osbourne made his intentions clear in the first round, tagging Erceg with a crisp check hook that sent the Aussie to the canvas. The second round was tighter. Osbourne still landed clean but began to slow down, while Erceg pressed forward with grappling and clinch-work. By the third round, Erceg had taken control - he shot for a takedown early, securing the mount, and riding out long stretches of control time. "I had his back in the second [round]. The striking was close in the second [round]. I thought I won," said Erceg in the post-fight interview. "I wanted to make a statement about how tough I am." Erceg now hopes to ride the momentum into a quick turnaround - and a spot on the UFC's Perth card in September. "Yeah, I think I can at the moment for sure," he said.
USA Today
10-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Steve Erceg admits doubts prior to UFC on ESPN 72 rebound win: 'Was I a fraud all along?'
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."
Hindustan Times
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Steve Erceg halts losing streak at UFC to get back on track
New Delhi: For Steve Erceg, the road back to victory was uncertain and full of detours. On Sunday, however, the Australian bantamweight finally found his way again, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Ode Osbourne in the co-main event at Las Vegas, registering his first win in over a year. Australian fighter Steve Erceg defeated Ode Osbourne in Las Vegas to register his first win in UFC over a year. (UFC / X) The fight didn't start the way Erceg had hoped for. Barely halfway through the opening round, Osbourne cracked him with a right hand that sent him to the canvas. But the Perth native wasn't about to let another fight slip away. 'I think I manage distance well,' Erceg told HT in an interview facilitated by Sony Sports before the fight. 'If I can implement some grappling early, even if it's not to take him down, just to make him work and carry my weight, the fight will tilt in my favour.' And that's exactly what he did. Erceg dug deep into his grappling arsenal, slowing Osbourne's pace, pressing him against the cage and dragging the fight to his favour. After three tense rounds, the judges' scorecards read 29-28 across the board. The relief was visible as Erceg's hand was raised. His contract hung in the balance, after all. He had lost three fights on the trot before this – to Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno. 'There's pressure, and yeah, I'm trying to keep my contract essentially. So that's gonna come with a lot of pressure, but if I try to focus on it too much, it can only be detrimental,' Erceg added. 'So my idea is to focus on what I can control, which is my performance. And if everything goes well and I perform well, the results should take care of itself.' Originally slated to face Alex Perez, Erceg saw his opponent withdraw due to injury. Then came Park Hyun-sung, who was pulled last-minute to headline another card. Osbourne was the third name in line. 'I'm so used to opponent changes and cancellations that it's not even a surprise anymore,' Erceg said with a laugh. 'The hardest part is the time in between because all I want to do is eat! So, if they tell me the fight's off, I'm going straight to eat some takeaway and fast food.' Despite the changes he had to incorporate due to opponent changes, his training never drifted far from its structure. 'I'll change some things, but it's mostly my approach to a round. Wrestling, sparring, boxing – I keep all of it in,' he explained. 'I might focus on more takedowns or throw more kicks, but the foundation is the same.' Erceg's journey to the octagon began in an unexpected but rather predictable way for a fighter. 'Brock Lesnar got me into it,' he said. 'Not because I was a massive fan of him, but I was a big WWE fan, and when he went to the UFC, he made me watch it.' His real MMA hero, though, was Georges St-Pierre. 'GSP was probably my favourite fighter for a long time.' At Wilkes Martial Arts in Perth, under head coach David Wilkes, Erceg sometimes trains up to four times a day. Mornings can range from strength and conditioning followed by MMA drills while afternoons are for jiu-jitsu and the evenings for sparring. 'I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life,' he said before the fight. 'Mentally, I'm in a good spot, and I think I've taken my skills to another level during this camp.' With the losing streak finally snapped, Erceg's goals are clear. 'There's so many guys at the top I'd like to fight — Brandon Royval, Tatsuro Taira, Amir Albazi, obviously Alexandre Pantoja.' 'Anybody that thinks they're tough, I want that guy.'
7NEWS
10-08-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Aussie Steve Erceg saves UFC career with first victory in 17 months
Australian Steve Erceg has saved his UFC career after overcoming a disastrous start to defeat Jamaican Ode Osbourne in their bantamweight battle in Las Vegas. Erceg entered the bout on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) on a three-fight losing streak and in desperate need of a win in order to keep his UFC contract. Things looked grim in the first round when Osbourne's explosive speed resulted in Erceg copping a series of big blows. Erceg's legs turned to jelly late in the round after one particularly big hit, but he was able to grapple his way out of trouble until the hooter sounded. Knowing he didn't have the speed to match his opponent, Erceg opted to grapple as much as he could over the next two rounds. By the end of the third and final round, Erceg was seated on top of his opponent while unleashing a series of devastating blows. The final hooter saved Osbourne from a knockout, but all three judges awarded the fight to Erceg 29-28. Erceg was a relieved man after being awarded the win, and gave an insight into what he was thinking during his opening-round beating. 'All I was thinking was, 'man, you're tough as, people get dropped all the time',' Erceg said. 'It's about how you finish. I wanted to make a statement about how tough I am. 'I knew that he's very explosive, and I had to make him a little bit tired. That's all I needed - to take that speed away. 'I'm relieved. A three-loss streak is not fun. 'To get tested early in the first round and come back — I'd like to sweep everybody, but (it was) character-building today.' Erceg (13-4) normally fights at flyweight, but this bout had to be at bantamweight due to Osbourne only having a week to prepare. His original opponent, Alex Perez, pulled out three weeks ago due to injury, with his replacement HyunSung Park withdrawn just over a week ago so he could headline a different bout. Osbourne's lightning-quick speed set the tone in the opening round, but Erceg adapted well and will now be looking to lock in a bout against a top-10 fighter in the flyweight division. Erceg, currently the 10th-ranked challenger in the flyweight division, came close to winning the belt last year when he fought champion Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil. That unanimous decision defeat was followed by a round-one knockout loss to No.5-ranked challenger Kai Kara-France in Perth, and a defeat to No.2-ranked challenger Brandon Moreno in March. 'You have doubts going through your head,' Erceg said of the pressure on himself. 'Was I a fraud all along? Do I deserve to be here? All that nonsense. 'It's good to fight a tough guy in the UFC. He's been here for ages and to get a tough win.'
West Australian
10-08-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
UFC star Steve Erceg says he can fight in Perth on short notice after career-saving victory in Las Vegas
Steve Erceg says he can back up quickly from his career-saving victory against Ode Osbourne and step into the octagon in Perth for the UFC Fight Night at RAC Arena in September. Erceg (13-4) snapped a three-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Osbourne (13-9) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday morning. It was a vital win for the 30-year-old former title contender who was in danger of being cut by the UFC had he lost a fourth consecutive bout. Erceg said he could back up in only seven weeks and fight in Perth on September 28 when light heavyweights Carlos Ulberg takes on Dominick Reyes in the main event. 'I think so. You never know but I think I can at the moment for sure,' Erceg said when asked if he could do the quick turnaround. Things didn't look good early in the fight for Erceg when the free-wheeling Osbourne caught him with a lethal right hand. The man known as 'AstroBoy' kept him composure to win the next two rounds, turning to his grappling to curtail the dangerous striker, taking control of to ensure he would get the win on the judges' scoreboards 29-28. '(I was) Pretty hurt. Part of the game plan, though. Dad told me, 'Make sure you get hurt early, let him blow his load and then figure it out after that,'' Erceg said. 'I thought I did enough. You never really know, but I thought I had his back in the second, I had his back in the third, so I thought I did enough.' Erceg said he had 'heaps' of pressure on himself heading into the fight to snap his losing streak. 'You have doubts going through your head,' he said. 'Was I a fraud along? Do I deserve to be here? All that nonsense. 'It's good to fight a tough guy in the UFC. He's been here for ages and to get a tough win.'
