Steve Erceg is all set to fight for a UFC title next weekend and it is still not sitting well with a lot of fans. Considering that he is a relatively unknown quantity, it is understandable why the fight is frowned upon by many. However, with the fight imminent, let’s take a look at why Erceg is in fact the right opponent to fight Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301.
For those unaware, it was previously revealed that Steve Erceg would be challenging for the flyweight belt against Alexandre Pantoja when the UFC makes its return to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Since the initial announcement, fans were up in arms about the fight. Seeing that ‘Astroboy’ is the #10 ranked contender in the division, many felt that the fight should have gone to another contender.
Wheels up to Rio ✈️
The flyweight belt is up for grabs 🏆
Presale info: https://t.co/KhR1ww7s1q | #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/pxIQM9PXfm
— UFC (@ufc) March 15, 2024
In the weeks since then, Steve Erceg’s demeanor and grounded personality have gotten a lot of people suddenly rooting for him. After all, it is not Erceg’s fault that he has been put on the spot to fight for the title. As such, the decision has come from the UFC brass and matchmakers who have seemingly put a lot of thought into what they were doing as well.
Does Steve Erceg deserve to fight for the title?
To answer the question of whether Steve Erceg deserves to fight for the title, one can say yes and no. In an ideal world, any division is expected to be crawling for hungry and active contenders who have made a case for the title shot. As such, in a situation like that, a fighter coming off of wins against the top contenders in his division should get the chance to fight the champion.
However, one must also consider that on many occasions, such as this, things are far from ideal, and thus, some out-of-the-box measures must be taken. For one looking at the state of the flyweight division, and then going through who makes for a worthy contender is a sorry task. Currently, #1 and #2 contenders, Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno have both faced the champion and lost to him on two separate occasions.
Thereafter, going all the way down to #10, which is occupied by Steve Erceg, all the fighters are either booked or out injured. The only exceptions to this are #9 ranked Tim Elliot and #7 ranked Muhammad Mokaev. Seeing that Mokaev beat Elliot, would make him the more deserving contender. However, having fought on the same night as Erceg, it is clear as to who the fans would want to see against the champion.
On the other hand, many may bring up Erceg’s three-fight UFC resume as a case against him. However, fighters like Anderson Silva, Gilbert Melendez, Tim Sylvia, Quinton Jackson, and Dave Terrell all received a title shot with less than two UFC fights under their belt. Coincidentally, Alex Pereira also fought for and won the middleweight title in his fourth UFC fight. Seeing that he was the man originally intended to headline UFC 301, maybe Erceg can accomplish something similar in his honor.
Steve Erceg UFC career and stats
By all means, Muhammad Mokaev is a talented, undefeated prospect who has everything going for him. However, stylistically, Mokaev’s wrestling and grappling-heavy approach is not something that the fans are to keen to witness. That said, Steve Erceg, who scored his highlight walk-off KO against Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 87, on the same night Mokaev beat Alex Perez, is who the fans would much rather prefer.
Until now, the 28-year-old Steve Erceg has beaten David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa, and Matt Schnell so far and will make the jump up from early prelim, prelim, and Fight Night main card to headliner in just his fourth UFC fight. That said, he averages 4.57 significant strikes landed per minute as opposed to Alexandre Pantoja’s 4.32. Similarly, he stacks up well with signature strike accuracy, takedown attempts, accuracy, and submission attempts.
ONE AND DONE 😮💨
Steve Erceg kicks off this #UFCVegas87 main card with a second round KO! pic.twitter.com/Ac1uYVprnu
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2024
Thus, on paper, the fight seems much more competitive than what people give it credit for. Moreover, with Erceg seen as the taller, rangier and the better striker, it makes things much more interesting. In the past, we’ve seen newcomers like Joe Soto get the title shot against TJ Dillashaw in 2014 due to dire circumstances. As such, considering all the points stated above, the UFC could have done much worse than having Steve Erceg fight for the title.
