Steve Erceg walked into UFC Vegas 109 knowing his career might be on the line. He left with his hand raised, halting a three-fight skid.
The Australian won a gritty unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Ode Osbourne, surviving a first-round knockdown before grinding out the final two rounds.
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All three judges scored the fight for Erceg, who admitted the result wasn’t pretty – but it may have been the most important win of his career.
Just 15-months-ago, Erceg was fighting for UFC gold against Alexandre Pantoja. Fast forward to Sunday, and he was fighting to stay employed by the promotion.
Three straight losses had shaken his self-belief and placed him firmly on the chopping block.
“Unfortunately, I’m on three losses and I could be fighting for my contract,” Erceg told MMA Fighting prior to the bout.
Originally booked to face Alex Perez, Erceg saw two opponents withdraw before landing Osbourne – a dangerous knockout artist coming off of a win.
Despite being the betting favourite, the 30-year-old understood the test that he had in-front of him.
Osbourne made his intentions clear in the first round, tagging Erceg with a crisp check hook that sent the Aussie to the canvas.
The second round was tighter. Osbourne still landed clean but began to slow down, while Erceg pressed forward with grappling and clinch-work.
By the third round, Erceg had taken control – he shot for a takedown early, securing the mount, and riding out long stretches of control time.
“I had his back in the second [round]. The striking was close in the second [round]. I thought I won,” said Erceg in the post-fight interview.
“I wanted to make a statement about how tough I am.”
Erceg now hopes to ride the momentum into a quick turnaround – and a spot on the UFC’s Perth card in September.
“Yeah, I think I can at the moment for sure,” he said.
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