Latest news with #Erceg
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Royals make 2 crucial roster moves before Tigers clash
The post Royals make 2 crucial roster moves before Tigers clash appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Kansas City Royals are set to meet the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Before the series starts, the Royals are making two notable moves that will affect the pitching staff. Advertisement On Friday, the Royals reinstated starter Seth Lugo from the IL. The corresponding move was to add reliever Lucas Erceg to the 15-day IL with a lower back strain. Erceg has been one of the top right-handed relievers in the leagues over the last few seasons. The right-hander has a 1.96 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and one save this season. He is not the closer, but he has closer stuff for a team that has an above-average bullpen. The Royals are not winning games at the rate they had hoped for before the campaign began, however, this team is on the right path to being a playoff contender. Kansas City will want Erceg back healthy as soon as possible to help get them back over the hump. Lugo is making his return to the bump tonight. He turned starter with the San Diego Padres two seasons ago after a long career as a New York Mets reliever. He wanted to prove that he could start, and the right-hander benefited from that change, being named a 2024 All-Star for the Royals. Lugo is off to another strong start in 2025. The Royals' starter is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, has 42 K's, 15 walks in 56.2 innings. His last start came again st the Boston Red Sox where he pitched a quality start. In 6.0 innings, he allowed six hits, three runs, two homers, and K'd up five. However, the Royals would lose 3-1. That game was May 11, and Lugo will now be fresh after two weeks of recovering from a finger sprain. Kansas City is expected to get starter Cole Ragans back soon from injury as well. The Tigers are sending out starter Casey Mize, who has been on a tear this season. This matchup has the makings of being a great game.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Former UFC flyweight title contender Steve Erceg concedes another loss could cost him his contract
West Australian mixed martial artist Steve Erceg admits he has fears he could go from flyweight contender to the UFC scrap heap as his next opponent is confirmed. Erceg (12-4) was a decision away from becoming the first UFC champion in WA history a year ago. The loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja became the first in three consecutive defeats for the 29-year-old, with defeats to Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno also on his cards. Erceg will now step into the octagon looking to turn his fortunes around when he takes on Alex Perez (25-9) as part of the card of the UFC Fight UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez at the Apex Centre on August 10. Asked if he was nervous that a defeat to Perez could cost him a place in the UFC, an honest Erceg said: 'Of course'. 'My goal was never just to get to the UFC and compete there and be happy. My goal's always been to be the best in the world so it would be devastating to lose my spot,' Erceg told The West Australian. 'The dream is scary, and I am lucky enough that I get to do it so I'm happy to go out there and do my thing and find out if I deserve to be here or not.' Erceg put his string of defeats down to giving his opponents 'too much respect', a mistake he's not going to make against Perez. 'I've been giving the last three opponents too much respect. I've looked at them like they're the best in the world and almost like they're better than me in some respect,' he said. 'After going in there and losing and feeling the level, (I realised) they don't know anything I don't know. They're not fitter than I am or anything like that. 'I just have to go out there and do what I do and stop giving them that extra credit which for some reason I've been giving too them.' Erceg is known renowned one of the best technical fighters in the flyweight division, but he plans to loosen up this camp to get the better of Perez. 'I've been working on getting a little bit less technical,' he said. 'Sometimes I get a little bit caught up in being perfect all the time. I don't have to be perfect. 'If you get too focused on the perfect technique in every circumstance you're going to miss opportunities. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to fight to the best of my abilities and if it looks a little bit ugly sometimes it doesn't matter.'
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Former title contender Erceg looks to snap losing streak
West Australian mixed martial artist Steve Erceg admits he has fears he could go from flyweight contender to the UFC scrap heap as his next opponent is confirmed. Erceg (12-4) was a decision away from becoming the first UFC champion in WA history a year ago. The loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja became the first in three consecutive defeats for the 29-year-old, with defeats to Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno also on his cards. Erceg will now step into the octagon looking to turn his fortunes around when he takes on Alex Perez (25-9) as part of the card of the UFC Fight UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez at the Apex Centre on August 10. Asked if he was nervous that a defeat to Perez could cost him a place in the UFC, an honest Erceg said: 'Of course'. 'My goal was never just to get to the UFC and compete there and be happy. My goal's always been to be the best in the world so it would be devastating to lose my spot,' Erceg told The West Australian. 'The dream is scary, and I am lucky enough that I get to do it so I'm happy to go out there and do my thing and find out if I deserve to be here or not.' Erceg put his string of defeats down to giving his opponents 'too much respect', a mistake he's not going to make against Perez. 'I've been giving the last three opponents too much respect. I've looked at them like they're the best in the world and almost like they're better than me in some respect,' he said. 'After going in there and losing and feeling the level, (I realised) they don't know anything I don't know. They're not fitter than I am or anything like that. 'I just have to go out there and do what I do and stop giving them that extra credit which for some reason I've been giving too them.' Erceg is known renowned one of the best technical fighters in the flyweight division, but he plans to loosen up this camp to get the better of Perez. 'I've been working on getting a little bit less technical,' he said. 'Sometimes I get a little bit caught up in being perfect all the time. I don't have to be perfect. 'If you get too focused on the perfect technique in every circumstance you're going to miss opportunities. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to fight to the best of my abilities and if it looks a little bit ugly sometimes it doesn't matter.'
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Brandon Moreno outpoints Steve Erceg at Fight Night
Former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno erased a stigma from his last UFC Mexico outing, winning a unanimous decision against Steve Erceg in a flyweight title eliminator bout in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event, sweeping the cards 49-46, 49-46, 49-46 over the former flyweight title challenger in Mexico City. Although the fight was closely competitive, Moreno won all but one round - Round 3 - on all three cards as Moreno (23-8-2 MMA, 11-4-2 UFC) kept the fight standing and made the Australian-born Erceg come to him the entire fight. Despite Erceg (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) hanging in the pocket, it wasn't enough to overcome the home crowd and spring the upset. Moreno called out chief business officer Hunter Campbell regarding guidance for his next fight. Although Moreno didn't name a would-be opponent explicitly, he did request to be part of UFC 320, scheduled for Sept. 13 in Guadalajara, Mexico. "I think I can move the needle," Moreno said after the fight. Erceg has dropped three in a row after a rapid UFC start, going back to the drawing board again. "I'll be back," Erceg said. Manuel Torres overwhelmed 12-year UFC veteran Drew Dober to secure a first-round TKO in the night's co-main event, where Dober took at least 16 unanswered shots to the side of the head before the referee stopped the fight. Torres (16-3, 4-1) is back in the win column for the first time in over a year, whereas Dober (27-15, 13-11) has lost four of his last five dating to May 2023. Flyweight Edgar Chairez needed one punch to pounce on CJ Vergara to set up an eventual face crank submission victory at 2:30 of Round 1. Chairez (12-6, 2-2-1) finally got off the snide after a bumpy start to his UFC career, winning two of his last three bouts to get to .500 in the promotion. Vergara (12-7-1, ) had his losing streak extended to three, going nearly two years without a promotional win. Raul Rosas Jr. survived a late scare from Vince Morales to fend off a third-round D'arce choke submission and win a unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Rosas Jr. (11-1, 5-1) ignited his hometown crowd to earn his fifth win over his last six appearances, using his crisp boxing to frustrate Morales (16-10, 3-8), who had not earned a win in MMA since last August before being re-signed to the promotion shortly thereafter. It was Morales' third straight loss. Dana White Contender Series alumni David Martinez emphatically won his UFC debut, needing just 4:36 of the opening round to earn a TKO win against Saimon Oliveira at bantamweight. Martinez (12-1, 1-0) has won eight in a row since losing his first fight nearly four years ago. Meanwhile, Oliveira (18-6, 0-3) is still searching for his first UFC victory and has lost three straight fights. The UFC Fight Night main card got underway with flyweight prospect Kevin Borjas earning a decision win against Ronaldo Rodriguez, taking the cards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Borjas (10-3, 1-2) earned his first UFC win after dropping his initial two outings, while Rodriguez (17-3, ) saw a seven-fight winning streak halted dating to November 2020. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
UFC on ESPN 64: Brandon Moreno seeks end to Mexico skid
The UFC makes its seventh trip to Mexico with Saturday's card at Arena CDMX that features a flyweight fight between Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg. Moreno, 31, is coming off a win over Amir Albazi in November, but the two-time former flyweight champ is 0-2-1 in three previous UFC fights in his home country. That includes a split decision loss to Brandon Royval in February 2024 before rebounding against Albazi. "Right now, I feel in an amazing balance," Moreno told reporters this week. "I feel I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel in my prime, and I have to show it. I have to execute, like my coaches say, but I'm ready to do it." Erceg arrives in Mexico City riding a two-fight losing streak after opening 2024 with a knockout of Matt Schnell. The 29-year-old dropped a title fight against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro before getting dropped by Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 in Australia. Moreno (22-8-2 MMA, 10-4-2 UFC) opened as the -185 favorite at BetMGM, but those odds have shortened even further to -250 as he has been backed by 79 percent of the money. The total bets are almost split, with Erceg (12-3, 3-2) drawing 48 percent as the +200 underdog. "I know the state of the flyweight division right now. It's a lot of fighters, a lot of contenders, trying to get the opportunity for the title," Moreno said. "I know I was the champion. I know I had the opportunity before. "So I was very, very conscious to understand that maybe I had to fight one or two more times in the future." OTHER MAIN CARD MATCHES MANUEL TORRES (15-3, 3-1) vs. DREW DOBER (27-14, 13-10) The co-main event is a lightweight fight. Torres graduated from Dana White's Contender Series in 2021 and won his first three UFC fights. However, he's coming off a loss to Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 306 in September. Dober, 36, is one of the elder statesmen in the division. He has dropped three of his past four fights, including a loss to Jean Silva in his hometown of Denver last summer. The tightest fight on the main card, Dober has drawn 60 percent of the bets as the -125 favorite while Torres has been backed by 56 percent of the money at +105. KELVIN GASTELUM (18-9, 13-9) vs. JOE PYFER (13-3, 4-1) Gastelum returns to the middleweight division, where he is 7-6 with one no contest. The former title contender is seeking to reestablish himself. Pyfer split a pair of fights last year, and is coming off a knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303. Gastelum opened as one of the biggest underdogs on the card but has seen his odds shift from +400 to +240 while being backed by 65 percent of the bets. Pyfer has still been supported by 84 percent of the money at -300. RAUL ROSAS JR. (10-1, 4-1) vs. VINCE MORALES (11-9, 3-7) The 20-year-old Rosas is already making his sixth UFC appearance in a bantamweight fight against promotion veteran Morales. Another DWCS alum, Rosas is coming off a loss to Mongolia's Aori Qileng at UFC 306, while the 34-year-old Morales lost a decision to Elijah Smith last month. Rosas has drawn one-sided support from the public, with 65 percent of the bets and 92 percent of the money backing him to beat Morales (+350). DAVID MARTINEZ (11-1, 0-0) vs. SAIMON OLIVEIRA (18-5, 0-2) Martinez is fighting in his home country for his UFC debut, while Oliveira steps into the Octagon for the first time in more than two years. Oliveira, 33, hasn't fought since being stopped by Daniel Marcos at UFC 283. Martinez is the heavy -450 favorite and leads the main card with 92 percent of the money backing him to win. However, that has led to Oliveira being backed by 66 percent of the total bets at +350. RONALDO RODRIGUEZ (17-2, 2-0) vs. KEVIN BORJAS (9-3, 0-2) The main card begins in the flyweight division. Rodriguez, 25, is a rising star who has won his first two fights in the division. "Lazy Boy" is also very popular, having amassed more than 2 million followers on Instagram despite having only two fights on his UFC resume. Borjas has begun his UFC career going the opposite direction with losses to Joshua Van and Alessandro Costa, but is still considered a promising flyweight. That is represented by Borjas receiving 60 percent of the bets and 57 percent of the money at +130, while Rodriguez is the -155 favorite. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
