In the United States, foreign fighters will often get booed by stateside fans.
I guess that’s better than getting stabbed, poisoned, or blown up by a grenade, one of many crazy things waiting for MMA fighters in Brazil. Regardless, flyweight contender Steve Erceg is still “excited” to challenge flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja for the 125-pound title in the UFC 301 main event on May 4 in Rio.
“I’m honestly excited for the opportunity to get yelled at and have bottles thrown at me,” Erceg told Submission Radio. “I think it’s going to be very exciting, and I can’t wait to take the belt and put it up, get straight on a plane and fly home. I have a lot of people that have supported me for a long time, and I definitely want to bring the show and bring the belt back to Perth, and give them something to cheer for at home.”
The promotion returns to Perth for UFC 305 in August.
“So, I was at the kitchen table eating KFC when I got the call, enjoying my break,” Erceg continued. “And then yeah, my reaction was sort of laugh, cause two reasons. I guess, one was, Dad sort of predicted the fact that he thought I might get the call, and I called him an idiot. So, I thought I probably owed him an apology. And the second was I didn’t know if I should throw out the KFC or finish it. And ultimately, I decided to finish the three-piece feed.”
No word on whether or not that included a soda.
“I think I’m definitely cleaner than [Pantoja] is,” Erceg said. “I think I make better angles, dictate range better. I just have a better skillset. He hits very hard and he has a good chin, and you’re going to go forward and get in my face, which is obviously hard to deal with for anybody. But I just think that I’ll be able to keep him at my range and touch him up from there.”
Maybe that will please some of those “disgruntled” fans.
“He gets put into bad spots sometimes, but he just keeps going forward. He gets tired and he finds a way to keep pushing the whole fight,” Erceg said. “And somebody that’s not going to give up is a very dangerous person. Obviously, he has great skills outside of that, but some people with great skills, if they’re not winning the way they expect to be winning, they break. But I don’t believe he will break. So, I’m gonna have to take it away from him.”
For the rest of the UFC 301 fight card and PPV lineup click here.