Despite being on an incredible 11-fight winning streak, UFC 301 flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg isn’t a household name. The tenth-ranked Australian has largely flown under the radar but plans to change that on Saturday.
Erceg takes on flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 301 main event in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday and isn’t worried bout being the underdog.
“I know that I wasn’t on the top of everyone’s mind when it came to a title shot, but the way that the division was Pantoja had already beaten a lot of the challengers and people are injured” Erceg said at the UFC 301 Media Day. “The only other guy that was really in line for a shot was [Muhammad] Mokaev and I was on the same card as him. I had a more exciting fight than he did and the UFC decided to give me a shot.
“I’m here to be the best guy in the world, so whether I’m an underdog or I’m the favorite, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m going to go in there and fight another dude in a cage and whoever is best is going to come out. on top.”
Pantoja is known for his durability and toughness. Erceg expects the fight to get ‘scrappy’ and he’s out to prove how tough he is.
“I think I’m going to hold range. I’m going to walk him into space and hit him from angles and that short of thing. I know he’s a real tough guy, so at some point it’s going to get sloppy. It’s going to scrappy and I’m going to prove that I’m not just a technical guy. I’m also a tough guy,” he said.
“I’ve been working for this dream my whole life and this is the culmination of all my hard work,” Erceg continued. “To lose here would be devastating for me. I’ve got plenty of pressure on my shoulders and I’m confident in all the work I’ve done over the years. I’ve trained very hard for a very long time.”
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/steve-erceg-this-is-a-culmination-of-all-my-hard-work