Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Erceg offered some details on how the unlikely title tilt came together, revealing along the way that he was essentially in the right place at the right time.
“I expected there’d be quite a few more people ahead of me that would get a shot,” Erceg said. “The way it came together was that all the guys ahead of me except for [Muhammad] Mokaev were injured, had already fought, missed weight, and all that stuff. So it really came down to who performed better at the Vegas show. I finished Matt Schnell and Mokaev had a tough outing [against Alex Perez] so they gave me the opportunity.”
Competing on a Fight Night card in March, Erceg delivered a destructive second-round knockout of Schnell while Mokaev put together a lackluster showing against Perez. That’s all the UFC needed to know who the next man up at flyweight should be.
Steve Erceg excited to fight Pantoja on his home turf
Steve Erceg knows a thing or two about winning titles, having captured the Eternal MMA flyweight championship in March 2020. Of course, ‘AstroBoy’ recognizes that there is a big difference between winning a title on the regional scene versus bagging one on MMA’s biggest stage.
“I know I can rise to the occasion, but obviously winning a world title in the UFC is a very different thing,” Erceg said. “It’ll be the culmination of all my hard work. The other titles are cool and all, but they mean a lot less than this one.”
Erceg will certainly have his work cut out for him in his first UFC main event. Not only is he taking on the best flyweight fighter on the planet, but he’ll be doing so in enemy territory.
“I’m excited for it,” Erceg said when asked about fighting Pantoja on his home turf. “I know the crowd is going to be very loud. Not for me. They’re going to be booing me, obviously, but I’ve had some hostile crowds before. Nothing to the level of this, but I love it. I’m gonna relish the opportunity and I can’t wait to beat the Brazilian in front of his home crowd and then leave with the belt.”
Watch the full exclusive interview with Steve Erceg below:
On Saturday, May 4, UFC Hall of Famer returns to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years when the promotion heads back to his home country for a loaded night of fights at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Stepping into the co-main event spotlight, ‘Junior’ will square off with streaking bantamweight standout Jonathan Martinez.
Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Steve Erceg — who headlines UFC 301 opposite reigning and defending flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja — is thrilled about the opportunity to share MMA’s biggest stage with one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters the sport has ever seen.
“He’s one of my favorite fighters of all time,” Erceg said of Aldo. “My coach was a big leg kicker and Jose Aldo’s kicks to the leg are some of the best you’ll see. I’m a big fan of his and I understand that he probably won’t be a big fan of mine at the time, but it’s super cool to fight on a card with him and for Brazil. The ‘King of Rio’ is coming back. How can you not be excited?”
Steve Erceg breaks down his unlikely title fight with ‘the cannibal’ at UFC 301
Just three fights into his run with the promotion, Steve Erceg will fight for his first world title when he meets the flyweight division’s top dog, Alexandre Pantoja, in the UFC 301 headliner.
Pantoja goes into his latest defense with an overall record of 27-5 with eight of his wins coming by way of knockout and another 10 via submission. Recognizing the well-roundedness of his opponent, Erceg knows that he’s in for a tough test, but is undeniably excited for the opportunity to show up and show out against the best of the best.
“He’s very good. Obviously, he’s a world champion,” Erceg said. “His ground game is his best asset. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s great off the back and he’s a lot stronger than I think people give him credit for. There are positions where his opponent will get underhooks and you expect them to use that to get up, but they can’t seem to find an avenue to move.
“The other asset I guess would be his chin. He does a lot of things wrong on the feet, but he gets away with it because of his chin. He’s a great fighter. He’s tough. I’m not gonna just run over him. It’s going to be a very hard well-fought fight and we’re going to see who the best man is.”
As for how Erceg plans on leaving Brazil with UFC gold wrapped around his waist, ‘AstroBoy’ believes it will come down to controlling the pace and taking away opportunities for the champ to gather himself mid-fight.
“If I let him dictate the pace, that is bad for me,” Erceg added. “I have to make sure that I take it out of his realm. He does burst really hard when he’s going, but he does need those rests to get his breath back and continue on with the fight. If I can take those rests away, I think it’s going to be a bad night for him.”
Currently, Pantoja is a sizeable favorite going into the scrap, sitting at -250 on a majority of sportsbooks. An understandable spot considering he holds victories over some of the biggest names to come through 125, including Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, Alex Perez, and former flyweight titleholder Brandon Moreno on two separate occasions.
“He’s beaten a lot of guys who I thought were more talented, that’s for sure. … He’s definitely got some good genetics,” Erceg concluded.
Watch the full exclusive interview with Steve Erceg below:
By all accounts, ‘The Action Man’ was on his way to a victory over ‘All In’ in the UFC Vegas 90 headliner. Then suddenly, disaster struck with only seconds on the clock as Curtis suffered an injury to his leg. That allowed Allen to unleash a last-second flurry that likely swayed the decision in his favor.
“Optically, I thought there were a lot of exchanges that I was winning,” Curtis said in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview with Mike Owens. “I feel I’m doing more damage. Responding less. I was pushing the fight more. I felt like I was being the aggressor.
“From what I’ve heard from a lot of people is that in the fifth round, I was up. I was winning and when my hamstring went out, it presented a really bad picture. He threw a flurry at the end, but nothing landed. I got hit in the shoulder with a knee. I didn’t get hurt or anything, but from an optics perspective, I’m the guy on the fence surviving now.
“I think the optics of 15 seconds outdid the 4:45 which kinda sucks,” Curtis added. “It’s not how you want it to go, but you don’t control the judges and the judges are going to default to what they see most of the time. These guys are making what, $300 a f*cking [show]. They’re not experts in this usually. It just sucks, but optics play a huge part and it sucks to lose on 15 seconds of bad optics.”
Chris Curtis maintains his top 15 ranking following questionable loss
Instead of moving into the middleweight top ten with a win, Curtis continues to cling to his spot as the No. 14 ranked contender in the division.
‘The Action Man’ also revealed the gruesome details regarding his hamstring injury, including a potential timeline for return, which you can read all about right here.
Watch the full exclusive interview with Chris Curtis below:
John Dodson didn’t always love the idea of bare-knuckle boxing. Now, he’s the BKFC champ. How did that happen?
It might be hard to believe now, but John Dodson’s current bare-knuckle boxing run almost didn’t even come to fruition. What started as a deed for a family member has evolved over the years, and now sees him headlining a card this weekend with a title in the mix.
The 39-year-old UFC vet currently holds the BKFC Flyweight Championship, which he earned with a first-round stoppage of JR Ridge last year. He has previously stopped two other fighters under bare-knuckle boxing rules and is scheduled to put his belt on the line against standout Dominican Republic pro boxer Dagoberto Aguero this Friday.
John Dodson talks BKFC journey
Knowing all of that, you might be shocked about what happened when he was first asked about competing in fighting sans the gloves.
“To be honest with you? I said no,” Dodson said in a recent interview. “I told them absolutely not.”
The visuals of bare-knuckle boxing were off-putting for Dodson. While he has seen the studies that suggest bare-knuckle boxing, albeit still a dangerous sport, could have a lower rate of concussions than other forms of combat, nasty “skin on skin, bone to face” contact in matches gives him pause to this day.
“I still have that sense that ‘I don’t want to do this,’” Dodson joked. “Every time I’m at a BKFC event, I’m hearing people get hit in the back and it sounds so painful, man!”
Brotherly Love
Mandatory Credit: BKFC
So what brought Dodson into BKFC? Stepping up for a family member and showing brotherly love, believe it or not.
It was John’s brother, Eric who first expressed interest in competing for BKFC. John said his brother, known as the “Thuggy Bear,” went to a tryout hosted by the promotion and earned an opportunity to compete. However, fights kept falling through. John wanted to give his brother a shot at competing in BKFC, so he accepted a fight when they came to his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and made sure his Eric would get on the undercard.
“Ultimately I had to do my brother a solid,” Dodson said. “Be a good big brother and put on a hell of a show.”
Both of the Dodson brothers have found success since then. Dodson won his BKFC debut in just 40 seconds, putting away fellow UFC alum Ryan Benoit. “Thuggy Bear” picked up his last victory just a couple of months back. While he may have hesitancy about bare-knuckle fights, Dodson believes he’s in a period of his career that he is truly loving.
A Post-UFC Dodson
Four years removed from the end of his UFC run, a time in the promotion that lasted nearly a decade and included two different title fights against Demetrious Johnson, Dodson says he’s simply having fun. The pressure of being in the top MMA promotion is gone, allowing him to do so much more.
“When I was in UFC at 135 [pounds], I was still trying to secure a job and I wasn’t having fun anymore … I was playing the safe game, I wanted to ensure I had a next fight scheduled. Once those next fights stopped coming through, I had to change up my mentality. Back into having fun, making sure I can go and do what I always love.”
When his UFC career initially came to an end, Dodson remembers feeling lost. “Oh s***, I need to get a real job,” he remembers thinking. But it wouldn’t end up being the end of the road for him. What helped him regain focus was coaching at United Fit, where the Nobody’s Villains MMA team trains. Coaching is something that he wants to do even after his time as a fighter has come to an end.
“I always love coaching my team. Those guys keep me motivated … They push me to a new limit. When I was let go from the UFC, I needed something else to motivate me. I keep on training their guys, making sure that they can get better. And not only that, it helps me put the best foot forward.”
Dodson says he wants to keep competing to set an example for his students: “I don’t want to sit there and be telling them, ‘Hey you guys should do this, this is how you really become a champion’ without ever being one at all.”
While competing in bare-knuckle boxing, Dodson is no doubt still fully in the MMA world. He has been balancing his time as of late in between BKFC and Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN. He won his RIZIN debut in late 2022, stopping veteran talent Hideo Tokoro. He had a three-fight winning streak in MMA snapped late last year when 2021 RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix winner Hiromasa Ougikubo beat him on scorecards. While nothing has been announced, he hopes to return to Japan sometime soon.
Not Afraid of Aguero
Mandatory Credit: Mike Roach – Zuffa LLC
Friday will be a different challenge compared to previous BKFC fights that Dodson has been in. He has previously faced MMA fighters under bare-knuckle rules or fighters like former champ Ridge, who have experience strictly in BKFC. But this weekend he’ll be facing a talent who comes from a more traditional boxing background.
Aguero made his BKFC debut last year with a third-round win over Chance Wilson. He had a 17-fight pro boxing record before then, mainly building up wins in the Dominican Republic. He switched over to bare-knuckle competition after suffering a pair of losses, dropping a decision to Aram Avagyan and getting stopped by former Rey Vargas opponent Azat Hovhannisyan.
The different matchup doesn’t bother Dodson, as he seems to have the same confident mindset no matter who is across from him.
“I mean, he can have as many experiences all he wants,” he said. “15-2 doesn’t mean anything to me when it comes to being the more dynamic striker. I’ve solidified myself being one of the most dangerous strikers and one of the most decorated ones out of all of them.”
If the story about Dodson coming around on competing for BKFC didn’t prove that he’s still a changing and transforming fighter, a glance at his career makes a solid case as well. When looking at his success recently, it’s clear that he is having one of the strongest runs of his entire career. Before his close loss in RIZIN just a few months ago, he had a six-fight stretch of victories between MMA and bare-knuckle boxing, a run that hasn’t been seen since the start of his UFC campaign. Dodson competed a total of four times last year, a level of activity that was last seen more than a decade ago in his career.
A win this weekend would continue Dodson’s recent career resurgence and keep his champion status. And who knows, maybe it will keep him in the bare-knuckle sport that he still has second thoughts about for one more fight.
Raquel Pennington was not a fan of Sean Strickland’s antics ahead of UFC 297 and took the time to…
Raquel Pennington was not a fan of Sean Strickland’s antics ahead of UFC 297 and took the time to discuss how his ridicule could be construed as hate speech.
Entering UFC 297 as the undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland was on top of the world. As boisterous as ever, he showed up to media day wearing a shirt that proclaimed: “A woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand.” That was just the beginning though, as he’d later go on and spout a number of comments that some could perceive as homophobic.
A video featuring a breakdown of the comments by Sean Strickland during UFC 297 fight week that were perceived to be “hate speech”
Speaking to Lowkick MMA reporter Mike Owens, Raquel Pennington would touch upon the experience of UFC 297 fight week, and address the comments that were made.
Raquel Pennington draws the line between freedom of speech and hate speech
“Everybody has their opinions, and they’re warranted to how they feel and stuff,” Pennington began, speaking as an openly gay woman. “But you’re not going to tell me how to live my life, and I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. I don’t find the need to judge other people’s lifestyles… He wants to talk about female fighters, but we’re here to stay.”
“I can respect the UFC for giving a platform to where we have freedom of speech, and they allow us athletes to be ourselves and whatnot, but I do feel a significant difference in freedom of speech and hate speech. And there were a lot of interesting things coming on that end (hate speech)… He talks all big and bad all the time on the camera, and he’s constantly running his mouth, but then you see him in person, and he’s looking the other direction.”
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
Raquel Pennington went on to say that things said on such a big platform can negatively affect the way some people feel. Saying that Strickland voicing such things on a platform like the UFC “breaks her heart”. But, ‘Rocky’ did hold firm in claiming that the ‘hate speech’ would never hold her back from doing her job in the cage.
What’s your opinion on Sean Strickland saying things that borderline on hate speech?
Newly-minted undisputed bantamweight champion, Raquel Pennington claims if soon-to-be common-foe, Holly Holm turns it on against incoming debutante, Kayla…
Newly-minted undisputed bantamweight champion, Raquel Pennington claims if soon-to-be common-foe, Holly Holm turns it on against incoming debutante, Kayla Harrison in their massive UFC 300 fight next month – the Albuquerque striker could upset the apple cart and hand the former an Octagon debut loss.
Pennington, an alum of The Ultimate Fighter, finally struck Octagon gold at the second time of trying earlier this year in the co-main event of UFC 297 – landing a one-sided unanimous decision win over surging Brazilian phenom, Mayra Bueno Silva in the pair’s vacant title affair.
Making her long-anticipated first outing under the Dana White-led banner next month on a monumental UFC 300 card, Harrison’s ability to make bantamweight numbers for the first time in her career have been called into serious question.
Raquel Pennington previews Kayla Harrison clash in the future
“I think she (Kayla Harrison) could definitely make the weight,” Raquel Pennington told LowKick MMA in an exclusive interview. “It’s [bantamweight] obviously going to be a new place for her. I think my biggest question is, ‘Okay, you’ve made the weight, but how are you going to perform at that weight?’”
“And then, just that fight [with Holly Holm], in general,” Raquel Pennington explained. “I feel like if Holly brings the fighter out that came into the UFC, she’ll definitely expose Kayla again. Kayla fought Larissa Pacheco, and Larissa threw her hands, and during that fight, Kayla had a really hard time, she couldn’t get off with her gameplan like she’s used to.”
Entering the Octagon off the back of a victory, Harrison, a career lightweight who twice landed tournament gold success under the PFL banner, most recently handed UFC alum, Aspen Ladd a decision loss in their clash toward the end of last year.
Who wins in a future title meeting: Raquel Pennington or Kayla Harrison?
Steve Erceg can’t wait to share the stage at UFC 301 with one of the greatest featherweights of all…
After a 25-minute war with Brendan Allen, Chris Curtis believes his controversial split decision loss came down to 15…
John Dodson didn’t always love the idea of bare-knuckle boxing. Now, he’s the BKFC champ. How did that happen?
Raquel Pennington was not a fan of Sean Strickland’s antics ahead of UFC 297 and took the time to…
Newly-minted undisputed bantamweight champion, Raquel Pennington claims if soon-to-be common-foe, Holly Holm turns it on against incoming debutante, Kayla…
