Steve Erceg

Steve Erceg
BornStephen Vincenzo Erceg[1]
(1995-07-27) July 27, 1995 (age 29)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Other namesAstro Boy
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionFlyweight (2016–present)
Bantamweight (2019, 2021)
Reach68 in (173 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofPerth, Western Australia, Australia
TeamWilkes MMA
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total15
Wins12
By knockout2
By submission6
By decision4
Losses3
By knockout1
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Stephen Vincenzo Erceg (born July 27, 1995) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 22, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC flyweight rankings.[3]

Early life

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Erceg was born in Perth, Western Australia[4] into a family of Croatian and Italian descent.[5] He attended Corpus Christi College[6] throughout his upbringing and has stated he was a "big WWE fan" in his younger years.[7] His interest in professional wrestling led to discovering mixed martial arts when he watched Brock Lesnar compete against Frank Mir at UFC 81 and subsequently decided to begin MMA training at his local gym.[8] Along with mixed martial arts, Erceg has competed in muay thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu competitions[9] as well as winning a gold medal in the 65 kg division at the Australian national freestyle wrestling championships.[10]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Starting his career in 2016, Erceg fought in Australian promotions such as Hex Fighting Series and Eternal MMA, winning the flyweight title in the latter and compiling an 9–1 record before signing with the UFC.[11][12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Erceg was scheduled to face Clayton Carpenter at the sixth season of Dana White's Contender Series in 2022 and UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill in May 2023, but Erceg pulled out both times due to visa issues.[13][14] The bout had been rebooked for UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov on July 1, 2023, but it was scrapped after Carpenter pulled out due to an undisclosed injury.[15]

Making his UFC debut, Erceg faced David Dvořák on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289, replacing Matt Schnell.[16] In an upset, he won the bout via unanimous decision.[17] The win also earned Erceg his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[18]

Erceg was scheduled to face Matt Schnell on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295.[19] However, Schnell withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Alessandro Costa.[20] Erceg won the bout by unanimous decision.[21]

The bout with Matt Schnell was rescheduled on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238.[22] Erceg won the bout in the second round by a left-hook knockout.[23] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[24]

Erceg faced Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on May 4, 2024, at UFC 301.[25] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[26]

Erceg faced Kai Kara-France on August 18, 2024, at UFC 305.[27] He lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round.[28]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Personal life

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Erceg's nickname 'Astroboy' comes from Erceg's resemblance in his younger years to the Japanese manga character.[29]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
15 matches 12 wins 3 losses
By knockout 2 1
By submission 6 0
By decision 4 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 12–3 Kai Kara-France TKO (punches) UFC 305 August 18, 2024 1 4:04 Perth, Australia
Loss 12–2 Alexandre Pantoja Decision (unanimous) UFC 301 May 4, 2024 5 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil For the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win 12–1 Matt Schnell KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev March 2, 2024 2 0:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 11–1 Alessandro Costa Decision (unanimous) UFC 295 November 11, 2023 3 5:00 New York City, New York, United States
Win 10–1 David Dvořák Decision (unanimous) UFC 289 June 10, 2023 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Performance of the Night.
Win 9–1 Soichiro Hirai Submission (rear-naked choke) Eternal MMA 73 February 11, 2023 1 1:46 Perth, Australia
Win 8–1 Paul Loga Submission (guillotine choke) Eternal MMA 62 October 30, 2021 1 2:31 Perth, Australia Defended the Eternal MMA Flyweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Cody Haddon Decision (unanimous) Eternal MMA 60 June 5, 2021 3 5:00 Perth, Australia Bantamweight bout.
Win 6–1 Shannon Ross Submission (rear-naked choke) Eternal MMA 52 March 7, 2020 1 4:28 Gold Coast, Australia Won the Eternal MMA Flyweight Championship.
Win 5–1 Paul Loga KO (punch) Eternal MMA 47 September 7, 2019 1 1:31 Perth, Australia
Win 4–1 Tim Moore Submission (rear-naked choke) Eternal MMA 45 May 25, 2019 3 3:15 Southport, Australia Return to Flyweight.
Win 3–1 Mark Familiari Submission (rear-naked choke) Eternal MMA 41 March 2, 2019 1 4:15 Perth, Australia Bantamweight debut.
Win 2–1 Choi Seung-guk Decision (unanimous) Hex Fight Series 15 July 21, 2018 3 5:00 Northbridge, Australia
Loss 1–1 Sean Gauci Decision (unanimous) Hex Fight Series 11 September 1, 2017 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 1–0 Ryan Robertson Submission (guillotine choke) CDL Super Card February 12, 2016 2 N/A Perth, Australia Flyweight debut.

[11]

Pay-per-view bouts

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No Event Fight Date Venue City PPV buys
1. UFC 301 Pantoja vs. Erceg May 4, 2024 Farmasi Arena Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Not Disclosed[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Steve Erceg MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  2. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  4. ^ "Get To Know The Challenger - Steve Erceg". UFC.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Stephen Erceg signed for UFC after eight wins in a row". CroRing. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "13 things about UFC fighter from Perth, Australia". The SportsGrail. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Steve Erceg Plans To Be In The UFC In 2022, Whether It Be Straight Away Or Through Contender Series". Cageside Press. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with February wins". MMA Junkie. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Smooth Comp Profile - Stephen Erceg". Smooth Comp. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "National Wresting Championships 2021". Wrestling Western Australia. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Steve Erceg". Sherdog. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Naghten, Tom (June 10, 2023). "Who is Steve Erceg? Flyweight joins ranks of Australians in the UFC". The Sporting News.
  13. ^ Alex Behunin (2022-03-20). "Eternal Flyweight Champion Stephen Erceg vs. Clayton Carpenter set for season 6 of DWCS". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  14. ^ Mitchell Woodcock (2023-05-12). "West Australian Stephen Erceg's UFC debut against Clayton Carpenter delayed because of visa troubles". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  15. ^ Mitchell Woodcock (2023-05-30). "West Australian UFC star Stephen Erceg set for new opponent after Clayton Carpenter pulls out with injury". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  16. ^ Vipin Raghuwanshi (2023-05-31). "Stephen Erceg debut now set for UFC 289 vs David Dvorak after Schnell pulls out". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  17. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-06-10). "UFC 289: Steve Erceg Pulls Off Upset Win In Late Notice Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  18. ^ a b Jed Meshew (2023-06-10). "UFC 289 post-fight bonuses: Charles Oliveira earns $50k for record-breaking finish of Beneil Dariush". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  19. ^ Sherdog.com. "Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze, Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg Confirmed for UFC 295". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  20. ^ Desk, ITN News (2023-10-28). "UFC 295: Matt Schnell Out, Alessandro Costa Faces Steve Erceg". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-10-29. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  21. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-11-11). "UFC 295: Steve Erceg Closes Out Prelims with Decision Over Alessandro Costa". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  22. ^ Sherdog.com. "Steve Erceg, Matt Schnell Rebooked for UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  23. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-03-02). "UFC Vegas 87: Flyweight Steve Erceg Scores One-Punch KO Of Matt Schnell". casesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  24. ^ a b Chris Taylor (2024-03-02). "UFC Vegas 87 Bonus Report: Vinicius Oliveira takes home $100k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  25. ^ "Aussie's incredible four-fight rise to UFC title shot". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  26. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-05-05). "UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja Survives Steve Erceg, Retains Flyweight Title". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  27. ^ "Israel Adesanya Officially Announces Next Fight At UFC 305". forbes.com.
  28. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-08-17). "UFC 305: Kai Kara-France Floors Steve Erceg Inside of a Round". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  29. ^ Luke Thomas. "Luke Thomas Interview: Is Steve Erceg UFC's best boxer?". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  30. ^ "UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg | MMA Event". Tapology.
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