When Steve Erceg found out he would be fighting for the UFC flyweight title on May 4th, he was sat at his kitchen table eating a KFC – Steve’s first job was at KFC.
The 28-year-old who was out of camp at the time, was sitting enjoying some fried chicken, before accepting the challenge to be the next 125lb fighter to try and dethrone Alexandre Pantoja. The Australian last fought in March, folding Matt Schnell in the second round with a picture-perfect left-hook knockout.
Steve Erceg laughed when he was offered the title shot, as he knew he was proven right by his father, who told him he was in the title picture after his win.
A full-circle moment for the Western Australian native
“I honestly never thought about it in that way,” when asked by Bloody Elbow if he saw it as a full circle moment that he was enjoying a KFC while receiving the biggest call of his life thus far. “But yeah, I guess it kind of is. I like KFC, I liked working there.” Erceg laughed.
Erceg trains at Wilkes MMA in Perth – a tight-knit team of respectful killers. Ahead of his first UFC title fight, the 28-year-old was able to pick the brain of former featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Volk fought against ‘The King of Rio’, Jose Aldo in his home city, the same task that stands in front of Erceg with Pantoja.
“(We spoke) mostly about just enjoying the moment and exactly what to expect. I had a pretty good idea anyway of what to expect but to hear an actual firsthand account of it was pretty cool.” Erceg explained.
77,000+ miles and 3 fights later
Although Erceg’s rise to the top may seem like it has happened quickly, he hasn’t half had a long journey. From Canada to New York with a stop in ‘Sin City’ in between, he now finds himself in Rio de Janeiro.
Over his previous three fights and with his title fight coming up, ‘Astroboy’ has completed just over 77,000 miles of travel (credit to Aaron Bronsteter) along his journey.
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“That gives an insight into how much Australians and New Zealanders have to travel for fights. I’ve heard a lot of fighters don’t like to travel and all that jazz, but I don’t think they really understand what us Australians are having to deal with, but I mean, it’s not like I dislike it or anything. I like going to different places experiencing the culture and fighting in front of different crowds, so I’m excited and happy to do it.
“It’s crazy the fact that I get to travel this much and all I have to do to travel is fight someone in a cage, I don’t have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to go around the world, and to experience a lot of stuff, I just have to fight some guy.” Erceg added.
The moments that have prepared Steve Erceg for this monumental opportunity
After beginning his amateur career on the Australian regional scene in 2014, Erceg went 7-1 before making the decision to turn pro in 2016. A few fights on Hex Fight Series saw him then sign with Eternal MMA where he remained undefeated for four years.
Throughout the beginning of his journey in MMA, the 28-year-old has highlighted some of the most pivotal moments in his career, that have prepared him for the biggest moment of his career at UFC 301.
“Fighting Shannon Ross on Eternal (52) was a big one, he was the Australian champ and it was a big deal because he was the guy at the time and it was intimidating going in there and fighting him in front of his hometown and that sort of stuff so it was a big win to get under my belt.
“Fighting on GAMMA which is an amateur tournament show type thing, that was cool because I got to fight people from all around the world and fight multiple times a day so I really got to find out where I stood.
“Lastly, fighting Cody Haddon was a big one for me because it was up a weight class and everyone was saying how good he was and he was the next big thing and sort of looking over me a little bit, and so to get out there and have such a tough fight and get the win was great knowing that when the chips were down and I’m tired and it doesn’t matter what’s going on I can still push through and can still push over the top of these guys.” Erceg revealed.
Steve Erceg prepared to go to ‘pretty dark and bad places’ to take the title back to WA
Throughout his seven-year UFC tenure, ‘The Cannibal’ Pantoja has built a reputation for being tremendously dogged and for having a championship heart.
The Brazilian has cleared out a lot of the flyweight division, leaving only a few more contenders at the top of the mountain, waiting for their chance. In his last outing, the 34-year-old put on a dominant display against Brandon Royal, beating him for the second time.
‘Astroboy’ is willing to dig as deep as he needs to, to take the UFC strap back to Perth, Western Australia, and he knows he is likely going to have to go to a ‘pretty dark place’ to break Pantoja’s heart.
“I have everything to lose, my whole life has been building up to this moment.
“I think the biggest (thing to be wary of) is how mentally strong he is, he’s going to keep coming forward, doesn’t matter if he gets tired, doesn’t matter what’s happening in the fight, he’s looking for a way to win at all times, that’s a dangerous guy.
“He’s a world champion for a reason, I’m not going to be able to put him out of there easily, so I’m going to be trying to break him down and looking for ways to get him out of there, but at the end of the day it’s going to be a tough fight and I’m willing to go to pretty dark and bad places and I know he is, so it’s going to be fun.”
Winning the title wouldn’t only be a great personal feat for Steve Erceg, but it would further highlight the growth of MMA in the Oceanic region, as the sport continues to capture attention worldwide.
UFC 301 takes place on May 4th from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also on the card is the return of the 37-year-old Jose Aldo, as he takes on Jonathan Martinez in a big clash at bantamweight.
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