Steve Erceg

Stephen Vincenzo Erceg (born July 27, 1995) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 7, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Early life
Erceg was born in Perth, Western Australia into a family of Croatian and Italian descent. He attended Corpus Christi College throughout his upbringing and has stated he was a "big WWE fan" in his younger years. 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. Along with mixed martial arts, Erceg has competed in muay thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu competitions as well as winning a gold medal in the 65 kg division at the Australian national freestyle wrestling championships.

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.

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. 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.

Making his UFC debut, Erceg faced David Dvořák on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289, replacing Matt Schnell. In an upset, he won the bout via unanimous decision. The win also earned Erceg his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Erceg was scheduled to face Matt Schnell on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. However, Schnell withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Alessandro Costa. Erceg won the bout by unanimous decision.

The bout with Matt Schnell was rescheduled on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. Erceg won the bout in the second round by a left-hook knockout. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Erceg faced Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on May 4, 2024, at UFC 301. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Erceg is scheduled to face Kai Kara-France on August 18, 2024, at UFC 305.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. David Dvořák and Matt Schnell
 * Eternal MMA
 * Eternal MMA Flyweight Championship (One time)

Personal life
Erceg's nickname 'Astroboy' comes from Erceg's resemblance in his younger years to the Japanese manga character.