Australian mixed martial artist (born 1995)
Steve Erceg Born Stephen Vincenzo Erceg[ 1] (1995-07-27 ) July 27, 1995 (age 29) Perth , Western Australia , Australia Other names Astro Boy Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Weight 125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb) Division Flyweight (2016–present) Bantamweight (2019, 2021)Reach 68 in (173 cm)[ 2] Fighting out of Perth, Western Australia, Australia Team Wilkes MMA Years active 2016–present Total 15 Wins 12 By knockout 2 By submission 6 By decision 4 Losses 3 By knockout 1 By decision 2
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 December 17, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC flyweight rankings .[ 3]
Early life
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
Early career
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
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]
Erceg was scheduled to face Asu Almabayev on March 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253 .[ 29] However, Erceg was pulled from the bout in order to compete in the main event against former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno on April 5, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64 .[ 30]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Personal life
Erceg's nickname 'Astroboy' comes from Erceg's resemblance in his younger years to the Japanese manga character .[ 32]
Mixed martial arts record
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
See also
References
^ "Steve Erceg MMA Fighter Page" . Tapology . Retrieved 2024-03-06 .
^ "Stats | UFC" . ufcstats.com . Retrieved January 26, 2024 .
^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com" . www.ufc.com . Retrieved 2024-12-17 .
^ "Get To Know The Challenger - Steve Erceg" . UFC.com . Retrieved May 3, 2024 .
^ "Stephen Erceg signed for UFC after eight wins in a row" . CroRing . Retrieved February 19, 2024 .
^ "13 things about UFC fighter from Perth, Australia" . The SportsGrail . Retrieved March 5, 2024 .
^ "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 .
^ "On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with February wins" . MMA Junkie . Retrieved February 12, 2024 .
^ "Smooth Comp Profile - Stephen Erceg" . Smooth Comp . Retrieved April 21, 2024 .
^ "National Wresting Championships 2021" . Wrestling Western Australia . Retrieved April 25, 2024 .
^ a b Sherdog.com. "Steve Erceg" . Sherdog . Retrieved January 26, 2024 .
^ Naghten, Tom (June 10, 2023). "Who is Steve Erceg? Flyweight joins ranks of Australians in the UFC" . The Sporting News.
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-06-10). "UFC 289: Steve Erceg Pulls Off Upset Win In Late Notice Debut" . Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-06-11 .
^ 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 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze, Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg Confirmed for UFC 295" . Sherdog . Retrieved 2023-09-07 .
^ ITN News Desk (2023-10-28). "UFC 295: Matt Schnell Out, Alessandro Costa Faces Steve Erceg" . www.itnwwe.com . Retrieved 2023-10-29 .
^ Anderson, Jay (2023-11-11). "UFC 295: Steve Erceg Closes Out Prelims with Decision Over Alessandro Costa" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2023-11-12 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Steve Erceg, Matt Schnell Rebooked for UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2" . Sherdog . Retrieved 2024-02-05 .
^ Jay Anderson (2024-03-02). "UFC Vegas 87: Flyweight Steve Erceg Scores One-Punch KO Of Matt Schnell" . casesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02 .
^ a b Chris Taylor (2024-03-02). "UFC Vegas 87 Bonus Report: Vinicius Oliveira takes home $100k" . bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02 .
^ "Aussie's incredible four-fight rise to UFC title shot" . wwos.nine.com.au . Retrieved 2024-03-16 .
^ Anderson, Jay (2024-05-05). "UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja Survives Steve Erceg, Retains Flyweight Title" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2024-05-05 .
^ "Israel Adesanya Officially Announces Next Fight At UFC 305" . forbes.com .
^ Jay Anderson (2024-08-17). "UFC 305: Kai Kara-France Floors Steve Erceg Inside of a Round" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18 .
^ Behunin, Alexander (2025-01-02). "Sorry UFC 312, A Former Title Challenger Will NOT Be Fighting In His Home Country (Because He's Stuck At The APEX)" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved 2025-01-03 .
^ Alexander Behunin (2025-01-28). "Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg in the works to headline UFC Mexico City" . mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-01-28 .
^ Thomas Gerbasi (December 19, 2023). "The Newcomers - 2023 UFC.com Awards" . Ultimate Fighting Championship .
^ Luke Thomas. "Luke Thomas Interview: Is Steve Erceg UFC's best boxer?" . Retrieved March 18, 2024 .
^ "UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg | MMA Event" . Tapology .
External links
Updated to 17 December 2024